


Masks

by 1stGenKeiko



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Dark, F/M, Mephistoxreader, Mystery, NSFW, Rin Okumura x Reader, Violence, Yandere Themes, ao no exorcist - Freeform, blue exorcist - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2019-08-21 14:14:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 41,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16578083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1stGenKeiko/pseuds/1stGenKeiko
Summary: (Disclaimer: I do not own Blue Exorcist or any of the characters included in this story.) (￣▽￣)*A female reader insert*You wake up from an unknown sickness knowing nothing but how you were staying with your lover and that he would take care of you. He feeds you in bed, helps you fall asleep, buys you whatever you desire to keep that smile on your face. He is the mirror of a perfect lover. However there is only one problem.You can't remember anything before him.Why? You didn't know but your reoccurring dreams help you recall that your perfect lover Mephisto Pheles hasn't been telling the truth. He may be, in actuality, more dark and twisted than he comes off to be.(This story contains sexual themes and violence. You have been warned. Contains Mephisto Pheles x female reader and some Rin Okumura x female reader.)





	1. Awake yet Unaware

As her eyes fluttered open to the light of the sun, she felt as though she had slept for an eternity. When did she fall asleep? She couldn't recall. She only knew that it had been one of the best rests of her life. Stretching, she moved to sit up from her bed but noticed a pain in her body. Her body ached as it moved to a different position. She couldn't help but wince slightly as she instinctively reached a hand towards the greatest source of pain in her right leg. 

Curiously she removed the sheets to notice that her leg was wrapped in bandages. In her arm she now noticed there was an Iv which was hooked up to what looked like a heart monitor. It barely made a sound as she watched the graph move up and down again to her own heart beat. She recalled now. She was sick. However she couldn't recall why or what had happened. 

The sound of a carts wheels rang in her ears as a man pushing a trolly entered through the doorway of her room. On the trolly was all the necessary medical supplies he needed to treat her. On his cart were a few Iv's, a pair of gloves, a few syringes filled with vitamins, and a few other things. 

She remembered him. His name was Belial. He was the head butler of this estate. He was entrusted with some of the most important tasks given by his master. He was good at his job. He put time and effort into a lot of his tasks. What was important for a butler like him, however, was to leave emotions out of the matter. It was easy for a demon like himself however even he had moments where his beliefs were challenged. It always kept him on his toes.

As he noticed her and her curious gaze, he immediately apologized for not realizing her consciousness sooner. 

"It's alright." She told him. "Your Belial right?" 

The older man looked on at her with a blank gaze. He wasn't sure how to react. His master didn't inform him that she would be waking up today. It seemed the king of time was to busy with other business. Which made the interaction all the more fear invoking. What if he were to say the wrong things to her? Things she wasn't supposed to know? He feared the kings wrath and what that would entail. Before he had been promoted he had watched many butlers before him fail at their positions and face the almighty wrath of the king. He knew all to well it was something no demon would want.

He needed to think over his word choice carefully. Who knows. The king could be watching this very minute. 

"Yes. I am Belial. May I ask how you feel?" 

Recalling her sore body and bandaged leg, she told him. "I'm doing fine." But she wasn't fine. So many questions popped into her head. Why was she in this bed? What happened to her leg? And why can't she recall? 

"Do you know what happened to me? I don't remember." She asked him. She hoped he could give her some kind of answer. 

Belial shifted to the question. It seemed hard to answer for him as he attempted to take out her Iv. He thought hard about what he should say but chose what his master would want him to say. 

"You had an accident, Ms. L/n. You have been asleep for quite a while so my master tasked me with caring for you while he's away."

"Your master..." she said trailing off. Then she remembered. Mephisto Pheles. He was also known as the King of Time, Samael. He was Belial's master and he was also her lover. She recalled how much she loved him. Letting her stay with him and taking care of her. She remembered getting along with him and talking for hours. 

She wanted to see him. 

"Where is he? Can I see him? He's probably been worried about me." She told him.

Again, Belial fought over what he should say.

"I will inform him that you've gained consciousness again. He'll come as soon as he can. He is in an important meeting with the Knights of the True Cross. Once that is finished, he will return to the manor to see you."

'That's right' she thought. He was often busy since he aided in the running of multiple different corporations. The True Cross Knights was just one of them. 

She smiled to the thought of him. She recalled how he was always so kind to her. He often brought her gifts and spent time with her. Whether playing video games or visiting other places on dates, he would always make time for her despite his busy schedule. She recalled, just recently, he had asked her to live with him in his manor. However her memories blanked after that. She didn't remember her 'accident'. 'Perhaps it's not important' she thought.

Belial went along with finishing his work. He removed the IV from her arm, reapplied bandages to her beaten leg, and finally unplugged the heart monitor since it was unnecessary now that she was well. He checked a few other things as well. He took her temperature and did a few other things to test her physical well being. He also gave her antibiotics and pain relievers. One could trust in his ability to play the role of doctor. He was a demon with all the proper knowledge of human fundamentals. 

As he packed up the trolly littered with medical supplies, he asked if she needed anything. She looked at him and while feeling her stomach growl, she knew she wanted some food and drink. 

"Could I have something to drink and eat?" She asked. With haste, Belial catered to the request, taking down what exact drink and food she wanted. He planned to get the kitchen staff to make it and he would then bring it to her. 

With nothing more, the butler whisked himself away to bring her what she requested. But before he could, he felt a nagging feeling in his chest that made him glance back at the girl. She laid quietly in the bed staring at the ceiling following his order to remain on bed rest. Her face remained in an expression of peace as if everything was ok. He knew something was terribly wrong. She seemed unaware of her true situation. That's how his master wanted it. One last time he felt the feeling to speak what he wanted to say. But he was silenced once more. He couldn't speak a word to her or he would face unspeakable wrath. 

————————

In front of a large and impressive temple like home, a pink limo pulled into the massive round about loop of the mansions drive way. With a screech of the tires, the machine pulled into park allowing the man inside to step out. A demon with striking purple hair and green eyes came out of the long vehicle. 

He wore a white suit with a pink tie. On his feet he wore a black and polished pair of businessman shoes. He immediately took in his surroundings, taking a minute to glance at his mansion and the steps up to the large swing doors. Two stone gargoyle heads sat like trophies on either side of the steps up to the doors. The two doors made of finer oaks had artistic carvings etched into the wood. Two large golden handles encased the final elements of the piece. 

The sight of his tailor made walkway gave him a smile as he walked up the steps and opened the door. Inside the mansion was an even fancier decor. No expense was wasted on the inside of these walls. High end paintings, furniture and other decors littered the main lobby. And by the steps leading to an upstairs portion of his manor waited three butlers, one of which was Belial who was the head butler of the estate.

"Welcome home, sir." Belial greeted with a bow for his king. Mephisto's expression grew curious. Belial seemed to be holding onto some kind of news. He could tell quite easily seeing into the depths of his mind. One of many supernatural powers he was able to use. 

"You have news for me?" He asked as he began to make his way up the stairs, removing the gloves from his hands as he walked. Belial followed hastily in suite. 

"Correct sir. You see, it's about y/n." 

Mephisto stopped mid step. His expression immediately changed. It changed to something no one could quite describe. It was a foreign emotion. It was one that could almost be described as wrathful and dark. With this foreign gaze, he looked the butler in the eyes. His demonic gaze stared straight into Belial's being. It sent shivers down even a demons spine. 

"What about y/n?" His iron gaze remained waiting for the demon to speak. Shaking off the fear of his masters hateful gaze, he continued. 

"She awoke today. She seems well. She requested food and drink so I had some prepared. She also wished to see you." 

The demons hateful gaze faded. His content expression appeared back on his face as if nothing had been said. Hearing that she wanted to see him made him pleased in more ways than one. 

"Excellent. Then everything has gone splendidly. Good work, Belial. I will see to her at once. You are free to go." With a wave of dismissal Belial was sent on his way. He had many a more tasks to complete. There was no time to waste. 

Mephisto, on the other hand, began to make his way to her room. There was not a single hour, minute or second he wanted to waste. She would be glad to see him again. It was just the way he liked it. 

Awake yet unaware.


	2. Reunion

She opened her eyes to find herself in a dark void. Nothing seemed to exist here. Only darkness. She tried to call out to the empty but to no avail. There was no sign of life in this empty place. 

Until suddenly there was. 

There he stood. Mephisto Pheles. His face seemed contorted to that of someone purely insane. He seemed to be glaring down at a silhouette of someone else. They cowered to the sight of him. 

"You. You think you can get away with anything using that pretty little face of yours, don't you? Watching you loving him more than me makes me sick. You know what I have to do now? Bad little girls get what they deserve!" He hissed as he dragged the silhouette off into the empty. They kicked, screamed. They did everything they could in attempt to escape but only vanished into the darkness. 

It was empty again. And then it wasn't. 

She heard his voice. 

—————

"Y/n." He whispered. Her eyes snapped open from the bizarre dream. It seemed while she was waiting for him, she had fallen asleep. She couldn't help but wonder what the strange dream meant. That was a thought for later. Now, he sat on her bed side with a warm smile. She smiled back. 

"I missed you." She told him. A smile never leaving her lips. With a soft expression he held her hand. He stroked it lovingly. 

"Oh I know darling. My meetings go on forever don't they? How do you feel?" He asked her, expectant of the right answer. 

"I feel good now." She told him, then recalling what she wanted to ask him. "Do you recall what my accident was? I don't remember." 

He was quick to give an excuse. 'A little lie won't hurt' he thought. 'It's for the best'. 

"You fell down some stairs. You bumped your head quite nastily." He explained now moving his hand to feel her forehead. Underneath her hair still remained a dark bruise. He frowned at this. He looked sheepishly at the mark, which became noticeable to her. She thought it was cute as she sat up to give him a soft kiss on his lips. 'He was worried about me' she thought.

"I'm fine now." She reassured him. This made him smile again. That soft warm glow returned to his face once more. 

"Yes, everything is fine now, isn't it?" He assured himself as he brushed the hair out of her eyes. With not a word more, he got into the bed with her and held her close to him. His embrace was warm. She found herself burying her face into his chest. With half lidded eyes he stroked her head until she fell asleep again in his arms. She was still weak after all. This made him frown as he closed his eyes, still holding her close. 

It was difficult for him to comprehend how something so small could make him feel so strongly. It seemed for thousands of years he had gone on without these powerful emotions. But now it all changed because of her. He felt as though he would do anything just to have her. He would sacrifice his home, his precious Assiah, and even himself. The things he did to have her already outstretched anything he ever did for a single human.

His behaviour even baffled Belial, the butler who had served under him for thousands of years. As he walked past the room and watched on to the kings odd behaviour, he couldn't help but wonder what had changed in the demons spirit and especially in his beating heart. Had he reunited with a piece of humanity inside his vessel or was this a new piece of himself? 

As Belial wandered off, he couldn't help but ponder the thought.  
——————

The night had come and left leaving time for the next morning to arrive. With squeaking wheels, Belial pushed the loud meal cart down the long carpeted hallway. On it sat a silver platter with a freshly cooked breakfast for y/n and for his master. The night had been full of unexpected surprises for the butler. His master had not only stayed in the room all night with y/n, but he had also slept more than the one hour of sleep he would normally sleep during the night. 

It wasn't to pleasant for the butler to not only find the demon had woken up in a grouchy mood, but had also wanted food prepared faster than time would allow. Belial hoped his master would spare him once again of his wrath over the meal. He had destroyed butlers over less in the past. He preferred to not be in the crossfire like the butlers before him. 

As he made his way into the room, he found that the masters mood had significantly improved. Y/n was awake now and laughed from underneath him. Mephisto hovered overtop of her, leaning down to touch foreheads with her. They both purred to the touch as they nuzzled into each other. The king hummed to the embrace of his lover until he noticed the presence of his butler. 

Mephisto let her sit up from their cuddle, now sitting on the edge of the bed. He watched her do the same worried that she might still be to weak to do so on her own. She seemed to manage it well as she moved beside him on the beds side. The smell of the American style breakfast made her mouth water. The smell and taste of eggs and bacon were something she didn't know she could miss. 

"It smells so good!" She insisted as she moved to see the meal better. Steam rose from the plate signifying it was still hot. 

"Thank you, Belial. I can handle things from here." Mephisto said as he snapped his fingers. Immediately a fancy dining table with cloth and even candles for decor appeared in the middle of the room. She marvelled at his power. 

With a bow, Belial left the two alone to eat. The time king didn't waste any time treating her like a goddess. Worried she might be to weak, he carried her to the table and with a clap the meals had moved from the trolly to the plates he had set up. The two began to eat. However, y/n struggled. Her hands shook from the lack of food she hadn't received in the last 24 hours. She struggled just to hold a fork without a wobble. 

He looked on at her with concern as she ate. It seemed apparent that she needed help. 

"Darling, your shaking." He said. Immediately she grabbed hold of her hand. Her hand was still now with the help of her second hand. Not wanting to be a bother, she gave him a smile. 

"I'm fine." She said as she continued to eat. The king couldn't stand it. It hurt to watch her try. 

"Let me help you." He said as he moved closer. He, in turn, cut the food for her and fed her himself. She let him do so willingly finding that perhaps she might've been to weak after all to eat it herself. Once they were finished he placed her on his lap. Using a napkin from the table he whipped her face clean of crumbs. 

She thanked him and gave him a loving hug. He laughed and gave her a kiss, afterwards stroking her cheek. 

"I've cleared my schedule today. We can do whatever you desire." He told her. Her face lit up. She'd love to get out of the room. But to do what? She thought about it and then responded. 

"We should leave the manor and go out somewhere!" She exclaimed. He smiled and thought about it. There were risks on taking her out. People would see her. They might see her. They might wonder about her and get ideas. However, the thought of leaving made her excited. Perhaps he would allow it today. He was in a good mood. 

"Alright. We'll go out today. I'll have to fetch a few things first. Wait here for me." He told her kissing her forehead. "Oh yes and here's some proper clothes for you to wear. You can change into these while I'm gone. I'll return right away." And with that and handing her neatly folded clothing he left. 

She smiled with a certain excitement to the thought of leaving on a trip with her lover. She rushed with enthusiasm to put on her new clothes. She couldn't wait. She was excited to find out where they would go and what sights they would see. 

'He's so kind to me' she thought. 'What would I do without him?'


	3. A Trip to Get Away Part 1

He had left to retrieve a few things before their outing, leaving her time to change. With a smile she put on the clothing he had given her. She couldn't wait to get out of the room. 

As a shirt she wore a light pink fall sweater like top. With it, he had given her a white frill skirt to match. It was a cute little outfit he had picked out for her. She noted how snug and perfect it fit over her figure. Happily she twirled in front of the white mirror within the room. The skirt fluttered as she moved. She thought she looked cute in the outfit. 

"You like what I picked for you, darling?" He asked making her jump a little. He had found his way in without her noticing. It appeared that he had changed his clothing as well. Now he wore a light pink tshirt with a pair of white jeans. Tied around his waist was a black sweater he had brought along as a potential wind breaker. She smiled happily to her lovers presence. She felt a certain warmth whenever he was around. It was as though she was missing something in the core of her being when he was gone. 

"Yes. I love the outfit. It fits me nicely as well." She told him looking again at her reflection in the mirror. 

"I thought you would like it. All you need now is to fix that messy hair of yours as much as it is cute." 

Playfully he tussled her hair causing her to look up at it now. He was right. It showed all the waves and mess caused by all the bed rest she had received. She laughed playing with it now. She was in desperate need of a hair do. Because of her excitement, she hadn't even noticed. 

"I haven't even noticed my hair. Your right. I should go to a hair dresser." She laughed, playing with it some more. Mephisto couldn't help but hug her from behind. He loved a proper 'cute girl'. In the otaku world, they called the personality type 'moe'. He, being an otaku himself, knew all about the character type and found that he couldn't help but have an especially soft spot for girls who acted as such. Even her laugh was like a song to him. He couldn't help but hum to the sound of it. This made her blush. 

"Your so cute~" He purred in her ear. He couldn't help but have a taste of her. Softly he nibbled on her collar bone. Her body reacted in an instant, giving him a quiet moan of approval. He thought about taking her right at this moment, removing the clothes he had hand picked for her. He wanted to see her underneath him, exposed and yearning for his touch. 

He couldn't stop himself from caressing her thighs while moving ever so closer to her hips and behind. His want and need grew yet he resisted. 'Wait a little longer.' He thought. 'Not yet.'

"You're a good little thing." He said, nuzzling into her neck. "But I'll have to ravish you later. For now we should get your hair fixed." 

With a snap of his fingers, her hair changed. As she could notice in the mirror it had become styled. It looked as though a hair dresser had done it to look the way it did. The waves caused by her pillow had now turned to curls that ran down her s/c skin. Her hair looked stunning in her opinion. 

"My hair... it's so beautiful." She praised. This pleased him as he kissed her once more. He turned her to face him now and brushed the hair out of her face. Her e/c orbs stared back at him. She couldn't help but feel as though she was flying in the sky at this moment. Everything seemed right. 

"Your highness," a voice interrupted. "Your vehicle has been prepared. It's ready for you now." 

Both turning to the familiar voice, they noticed Belial. He bowed in the presence of his master, careful not to upset him but to appease him instead. He had come to get the two and show them to the limo that waited outside the home. It sat parked just outside the front doors, waiting to leave. 

Mephisto smiled at her again. "Are you ready to leave?" He asked. She nodded. With that, the two made their way to the front doors. She clung to the arm he had offered her as they walked down the hall. Belial followed in suit being the driver of the limo and stayed quiet. If he were to speak, his master would be angry. One of his predecessors had died over that.  

Belial followed them out the front doors as they talked and laughed about many different things. Moving to the front of the group, Belial opened the door for them. He bowed again for his master as the two got in to pink limo. Inside the car was an even fancier inside. The car walls were decorated with a red and violet interior. The seats were velvet, and a softer fabric at that, and on the roof were a pair of soft lights for dark drives. Off to the right she noticed there was even a snack and drink bar. She was almost tempted to snack on some of the junk food stuffed in cups on the surface of the bar. 

They sat in the back of the car, sharing a couch like seat. She couldn't help but run her hand on the fabric, feeling it's soft surface. Belial closed the door resuming his job as driver of the limo. With not a second to waste he got into the drivers seat and started the engine of the vehicle. 

"So~" Mephisto began. "Where would you like to go?" 

Y/n had to think about it. Honestly she wasn't sure and it showed very obviously on her face. Her concentration on the subject made a notably cute expression on her face. It made him pull her body closer to his body. All he wanted to do was be close to her in moments like this. He couldn't help himself. She was like a fresh pastry to him. Irresistible. 

"To be honest, I'm not really sure where I want to go. I never thought about that." She admitted, blushing as she looked away from him. The embarrassment of not knowing made her face flush. 

"Poor thing." He teased as he traced patterns on her body. "Should I help you with this too?" 

She laughed and nuzzled into his warm body. She agreed. She was fine with anything he would suggest. She felt content just to be with him. 

"Why don't we start by getting you some new clothes? You didn't bring much when you moved in." He suggested. 

She thought it was a good idea. She felt a certain excitement over being able to get new things. With the destination now set, all that was left was telling the driver. On the arm rest of the car door was a small red button. It was the button for a speaker like device that allowed communication with the driver. Pressing the button, Mephisto told Belial to take them to the True Cross District Mall. It was the best place to go for clothing stores in the area. 

"As you wish, sir." Belial boomed over the hidden speakers within the limo. The hidden speakers were normally used to listen to the local radio stations. Now they served a duel purpose with a requested upgrade or two. 

With that, they were on their way. A radio station began to play over the speakers as the limo began to move. She was excited to go on a trip to get away.


	4. A Trip to Get Away Part 2

As the car inched forward, so began their trip. A song over the radio played as they rode out on the streets of True Cross Town. The entire time, he held an arm around her protectively. His eyes wandered to the window every so often. It was interesting to him how a town that once was overrun by criminals and the homeless, turned with time into a richer town with newer buildings and higher end shops. 

There was a lot to see being alive for thousands of years like him. Things were always changing. Even y/n. 

She noticed he seemed quieter as he stared out the window in thought. He almost looked troubled. It made her wonder if something was making him upset. She wanted to make sure he was ok.

"Are you alright?" She asked. He looked at her now and smiled. "I'm fine, darling." He told her. It was just a thought he had. She was different now. But that was for the best. Trying to forget his thoughts, he kissed her making her purr. He ran his fingers through her hair, staring down at her in a loving way. She smiled back feeling like she only ever needed his touch. It was a strange feeling. It was a powerful love. 

As the car ride went on, he poured them each something to drink. They both drank a fruit tea from the frequently stocked bar. It was often that his servants stocked and rotated the things within the bar to insure their freshness. It always insured that drinks were flavourful and food wasn't spoiled. 

Laughing and talking some more the entire way, they finally found that they'd made it to their destination. The True Cross District Mall was bustling with crowds and vehicles all trying to make their way into the mall. As the limo pulled into a halt at the entrance of the mall, all eyes looked on with interest as to who would emerge from inside. 

Belial got out of the car swiftly, opening it with a bow for his king. "Your destination, sir." He announced. All eyes watched carefully as the couple emerged. The judgemental eyes of the crowd didn't bother Mephisto as he walked with y/n into the building. However, she couldn't help but feel a bit insecure and nervous. She pondered what those eyes thought of them. Many recognized the millionaire who owned the famous True Cross Academy after all. Yet, the thought soon passed as they walked through the double doors of the building. 

Inside was an impressive sight. In the main corridor was a fountain lined on each side with a pair of escalators. Shops littered every space on either side of the walls while smaller shops offered merchandise through small carts set up within the middle of the halls. She stared on with a sense of overwhelming excitement. Their were an overwhelming amount of shops to explore. 

"So?" He began. "Where would you like to go first?" 

Not wasting time, she wandered into multiple different clothing stores until she found one that offered multiple styles she liked. The store was called Fragile Beauty. She had never heard of the place before. It seemed that it was a local business testing the waters within the walls of the mall. It seemed to sell high end brands with multiple different mahicans modelling multiple different styles.

She was quick to begin rummaging through the clothing racks. The click of hangers rang out into the store as she and other people looked through the racks and racks of clothing. He to found himself rummaging through the racks looking at cute things he would like to see her in. 

"Oh darling, you have to try this one! Oh! And this one! This one as well. Ah this one is stunning!" 

She found herself in a stale mate with him. She couldn't keep up with his speed as he sorted through the entire stores line of clothing at an inhuman pace. A pile began to form in her shopping basket filled with an excessive amount of his choices versus a small few of hers. She laughed as the pile began to turn into a leaning tower of silk. 

"Mephisto, I don't think I can try all of these on in one day." She teased as he returned with more handfuls, some of which now contained bras and panties he especially wanted to see on her figure. 

"Nonsense. There's plenty of time. Besides it'd be a waste if these all weren't worn on a body like yours." He told her trying to place his picks on the tower without it falling over. She held the pile still as he found himself starting to struggle.

"I honestly don't think I can afford all this either." She laughed. She then had a realization. She hadn't brought money with her. "Oh no, I forgot my wallet at home!" She exclaimed. Mephisto only laughed at this. 

"Oh please, I don't expect you to pay for anything. As long as you live with me, you can expect not never lift a finger." He said with a warm smile, kissing her on the head. She found herself feeling grateful but also like a leech as he walked over to another rack to pick through. She didn't want to feel like a burden on him even if he insisted. However, she thought of it as extremely thoughtful. This pile of clothing surely wouldn't be cheap. 'He must love me a lot' she thought with a loving smile. 

Two hours had passed by the time they had finished ransacking the store and she had finished trying on all the clothing from the never ending pile. Most of them, they both decided to buy making their way now to the cashier with their large haul. It nearly took 30 minutes to finish with their purchase and with bags and bags of clothing and a gracious goodbye from the cashier, they continued to browse at other stores as well, stopping for meals at the appropriate times. However, to not look to strange with so many bags, he teleported them all back to a room in his mansion. It'd be better to get them all out of the way. 

As the day went on, they wandered into multiple other stores and browsed through their merchandise. Every time she found something she adored, to her dismay, he bought it. He wanted her to have everything she had ever wanted and more, ignoring her say in the matter. 

She found herself drowning in gifts by the time the trip had nearly ended. She also grew tired from all the walking and felt a certain sharp pain in her left bandaged leg from all the wandering. By the time they had finished, she was so tired that he carried her the rest of the way out. 

He didn't care what all the pair of eyes thought as he carried her. He felt like he wanted everyone to know that she was his lover. He wanted everyone to know who she belonged to. Mephisto saw her as his mate and a demonic possessiveness followed with that title. He couldn't help it. It was a natural feeling between a demon and their mate. 

In suite also came a need to protect his mate from all threats. Especially other potential mates. 

"Mephisto? Is there a bathroom in this place?" She asked. He was snapped from his thoughts in that instant. He found himself thinking about him. The anger was still raw and boiling in his being. However, when she talked, it was soothing to him. He immediately was calmed to the sound of her voice. 

"Do you need to use one? There's one right this way." He told her, carrying her to the bathrooms located right beside the main entrance and exit. He placed her down very gently, careful not to hurt her fragile being. 

"If you have any problems, you call me." He ushered. She thanked him and walked into the opening hallway leading towards two doors, one for woman and one for men. He waited for her outside, feeling a bit antsy while being away from her. 'She'd be out soon' he reassured himself. However, he found himself worrying. She was still weak after all. 

She entered into the woman's bathroom, entering one of the stalls. She tried to move quickly. She didn't want to make him wait to long. Doing her business and washing up, she walked out into the hallway again only to walk face first into something hard. She fell onto the ground, a bit winded by the blow. She felt disoriented as she heard a voice. 

"Oh man, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" The voice asked only to be scolded by another. "Okumura! You need to watch where your going!" 

As she regained her senses, she looked up to find a group of five people. There was a blonde girl wearing a kimono looking down at her with concern, a pink haired boy who seemed to be staring an uncomfortable amount at her breasts, a small boy with glasses who struggled trying to clean them, a stockier looking boy with a bleached mohawk who's gaze was sterner than one would expect, and finally a boy with raven coloured hair who outstretched a hand to help her up. 

Taking the boys hand, she got her feet now and looked at the group. They all looked familiar to her. Especially the boy with the raven hair. He stared at her with a curious look now. Something about her was familiar. 

"Hey, have we met before?" He asked her. With wonder she stared back at him. She felt like she had seen him before. He seemed so familiar. Almost as though she had spent weeks in his company but lost all memories of it. She felt almost like they were close. 

"I feel like I know you too...." She told him, thinking hard on the subject. She tried desperately to remember.  

"I think I know her too..." Said the boy with the mohawk. The blond girl also agreed. It was strange. They all felt like they knew her well yet couldn't recall how. 

"My name is y/n. Who are all of you?" She asked. The raven haired boy introduced himself to be Rin Okumura. The blonde girl, Shiemi Moriyama. The boy with the mohawk was Ryuji Suguro. The pink haired boy was Renzo Shima and his smaller friend was Miwa Konekomaru. All the names seemed so familiar. She couldn't put her finger on why and neither could they. 

Rin seemed most at odds. He felt like something was wrong about this. He felt like she was in danger. Why? He wished he could remember. As she left saying she had kept her partner waiting and waving goodbye to the group, he felt a weight on his spirit. He felt like he needed to go after her. 

'If only I could remember' he thought as she left out of his view. 'If only I could remember why.'


	5. Questions

"I can't really figure out why but I think she might be in danger...." Rin said as he walked with the his friends through the hallways of the mall. Ryuji, walking beside him, looked at him with an expression of curiosity. 

"You mean the girl you ran into earlier? The one with the bandaged leg?" He asked. 

Rin nodded looking deeply concerned as they walked towards the food court. He couldn't get the mysterious y/n out of his head. If she was indeed in danger, like it said within every fabric of his being, he wouldn't be able to live with himself letting her walk away. Especially when he could've stopped her. 

Ryuji began to ponder the half demons strange feelings about the girl. He didn't see any demons around her nor did she look possessed. How could she possibly be in any danger? Perhaps it was a sixth sense related to his friends demonic powers? Was he foretelling some kind of accident? A car crash? A mugging? 

"Do you feel like it's some kind of sixth sense? Maybe something like a psychic ability related to your powers?" Ryuji asked. Rin shot him a look of absolute confusion. "Huh? A sixth....what?" Rin questioned back. He had only been half listening still deep in his thoughts. He had absolutely no idea what a sixth sense was. 

Ryuji shook his head. The half demon wasn't bright. He struggled with a lot of things. Especially education. It absolutely infuriated Ryuji as he pinched his brow. He took all forms of education seriously while Rin just couldn't find the focus to sit through a lesson. He was either asleep or dozing off while forced to sit in any class. 

"You shouldn't worry about it. The only thing that girl is in danger of is getting hit by your big head again." Renzo teased to Rin's anger. "I didn't mean to hurt her!" He argued as Renzo could only laugh at his own joke. Miwa frowned in disapproval over his childhood friends actions. He didn't think it was funny. 

"Be serious, Shima. Rin might actually be right. Something was off about her. I  can feel it too." Miwa said, silencing the group. He was the rational and intelligent one when it came to making a clear choice in his friend group. He always tried to do what was right making him admired by the people around him. His calm and rational thought in sticky situations also gave him quite a lot of leeway. When he talked, they listened. He was taken very seriously.  

As they began to stand in line, planning on eating from the court, they decided on leaving the mystery girls status as just that. A mystery. With nothing but a gut feeling and bandages to go on, there was nothing to be done as far as they could tell. However, Rin wasn't ok with that. He remained in silent thought as his friends talked amongst themselves. 

'Who was that girl?' He thought. 'I need to see her again.' 

                 ————————

"Y/n?" 

She looked up at him from her deep thoughts. She had been acting strangely since she went to the bathroom back at the district mall. He was quick to notice her behaviour as they made their way to a fancy restaurant to eat. She had gotten quieter. She seemed to be deep in thought about something. He couldn't help but wonder if something had happened in his absence. He could only hope that that wasn't the case. 

"Your acting strange, darling. Did something happen in the bathroom?" He asked her. She felt bad now for seeming so distant. She never meant too. Now he looked visibly concerned about her. She didn't want him to feel that way. It made her upset too. 

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to act strange. I've just been thinking......Maybe you can help me?" She told him. He smiled warmly and said:

"Of course. What's on your mind?" 

He genuinely wanted to help with whatever troubled her. She could tell. This made her smile as she told him about her meeting with a mysterious boy named Rin Okumura. He seemed so familiar to her but she couldn't remember ever meeting him before now. She tried desperately to remember him. Even now in the limo with her lover. She felt as though there was something important she was supposed to remember connected to him. She didn't know why. 

Mephisto's expression changed. He frowned down at her now. The worst case scenario had happened the minute he left her alone. They met. He half expected this, with his kind of luck. He had planned on what to say to her and practised it within his spare time. There was always a possibility this would happen. He had to be prepared. 

It was crucial to say the right thing to her. 

"Do us both a favour and let's forget about this, shall we? You shouldn't trouble yourself over him." He told her, all the while looking more upset with every word. She was worried now that she had said something wrong. She didn't want him to be mad at her. Especially after all he's given her. 

"I'm sorry, did I upset you? I didn't mean too...." She said, looking out the window. She was visibly upset. His emotions had slipped out, even while he had practiced saying this to her. He didn't want to hurt her. Not now. 

"Oh no, I'm not upset with you. Not at all. I apologize." He assured her as he pulled her into a hug. She felt a huge weight lift off her person to his embrace. It felt so good to be cuddled by him like this. His touch seemed to be all she needed in life at this moment.   He was everything to her. She felt like nothing could change that. 

They proceeded to have dinner, laughing and talking as though the bathroom meeting had never happened. The fancy restaurant contained chandeliers, fishtanks, candles on silk, and everything you could ever ask for from a fancy place like this. Through a large window, Belial watched with crossed arms. 

Little did his master know but he had over heard the conversation about Rin Okumura. He felt all the wrong things as he watched her laugh. Not knowing. Not caring. How long could he just watch? Watch as he told her lie after lie? 'I could help her.' He thought. 'I could help her remember.' His master would destroy him but would the nagging feeling inside of him finally go away?  She seemed happy. Maybe this was ok? 

The questions couldn't stop chasing after him for answers as the two got into the limo and began to head home. As he drove amongst the glow of street lights, he couldn't help but wonder if he should give the questions answers. 

'Was this right' he thought as he drove back to the manor. For once, he wasn't sure.


	6. Bubble Baths

With a muffled hum, the pink limo pulled into the driveway of the manor. They had finally arrived back from their trip. Belial wasted no time getting out of the car, opening the door and again bowing before his master. He didn't want him to keep his master waiting. Mephisto stepped out into the night, his lover held close to him. The moon glowed a soft white as they made their way up the steps. He held onto her protectively as they went inside through the large oaken doors. He felt a certain possessiveness over her tonight, especially after the events of the day. He didn't want to leave her alone again. 

Belial followed them inside but was soon waved away by his master. He was dismissed. Mephisto wanted to be alone with her. No servants, no work related coworkers, and especially not him. 

Never again. 

"That was a long trip, wasn't it?" He laughed, forgetting his bitter thoughts. Everything was better now after all. She giggled along with him. 

"Very much so. I'm exhausted." She said, yawning. She could definitely feel the strain on her body from all the walking and excitement of the day. She could especially feel it in her left leg as she shifted her weight onto it.  He looked concerned watching her fidget between legs. She struggled to simply stand without pain. He looked down at her bandaged leg now. It looked better than it had at the time of the accident but under the bandages he knew it was still red and irritated. He had the perfect antidote for that. 

"You're quite sore aren't you? You poor thing. Why don't we run you a soothing bath?" He offered. He had always found that bathes were a helpful relaxation aid to any kind of body pain. It sounded like a very good idea to her. She smiled warmly to the thought of a relaxing warm bath. 

"I would love a bath. That sounds wonderful." She told him and with nothing more he carried her up the stairs to his favourite bath. She laughed as he carried her all the way to the special red doors leading to his bath area. As the doors opened with the aid of his powers, her eyes widened to the beautiful scene.  

The room held an artistic tile flooring which was designed with loops of white and red. All around the room were vases, plants, paintings, chairs, and scented candles. However, the bath was the most beautiful view. The bath was shaped like a rectangle lined all around with artistic patterning. Stairs led upwards to the inside from a small decorative carpet. The faucet was custom done to look like a gargoyles head. 

She watched it fill up the bath with warm clear water. Along the baths edge were a few plants and an oyster that held soap and luffas. Beside that was a scrub brush and a few different shampoos. And finally encasing the entire bath was a bright red privacy curtain. She marvelled at the rooms decor. She adored it. 

"What a beautiful bath." She praised as he put her down on one of the chairs. He gave her a warm smile. He was glad that she liked it. He wanted to spoil her. He wanted her to be happy with absolutely everything he gave her. He never wanted that smile to disappear. Her smile brought him life. 

"I'm glad you like it." He purred as he nuzzled into her neck. With a toothy grin, she pulled him closer so she could kiss his cheek. The bath water began to give off steam as he took the bandages off her leg. Underneath the bandages were a few stitches, some bruises and of course redness from irritated skin. She looked down at it now with curiosity. It seemed to be quite a fall. 

"It looks like it's healed quite a lot." He told her. She wondered what it had looked like before. Even now it still didn't look pretty. But, even while it looked the way it did, he kissed it as though he were trying to kiss it better. The small gesture did alleviate most of the pain. In fact, it gave her a certain warmth inside. One that could cure her of all illness and pain. 

He looked up at her now, his eyes half lidded. A surge of warmth and lust flowed through her body from the mere expression on his face. She had a hunch of what he wanted to do next. She beat him to it, pulling him into a kiss. He found himself groaning to the touch. He had waited all day to take her. At this moment, it finally felt right. 

The hunger ate at them both as they kissed, his tongue slithering between her lips and into her mouth. She ran her hands through his hair with a want and passion that spoke more than words ever could. It told him that this is what she wanted. She had been waiting too. 

Gently he got on top of her, moving deeper into the kiss. He was careful not to hurt her or crush her underneath him. She was weak and he always kept this in mind. Every time he touched her, it was with a gentle hand. If she were any other human girl, he wouldn't of cared. She made him care. 

Pulling out of the kiss, he moved to her neck now and sucked on her s/c skin. He felt an overwhelming need to mark her with a hickey. He wanted to leave marks like this all over her person, some hickeys and some love bites. He couldn't help but feel like this as his hands roamed her figure and pushed up her shirt. She was beautiful in his eyes and he wanted all to know she was his mate. She was no one else's. 

Soon their shirts had been taking off and the room had gained a fog from the warm steam rising off the bath. The hunger continued as he suckled on different areas on her torso. She quivered and moaned to the touch of his lips. She didn't want it to end. She felt so close to him. His vulnerability as a powerful king was exposed before her. He couldn't get enough of her. 

"I love how you quiver to my touch,   
y/n." He purred into her ear. "Say my name. I want to hear you say it." 

His voice in a hushed whisper melted her under him. All she wanted now was for him to take her. Her body screamed for it and so did her heart. She felt like she would explode without his touch. It was overwhelming how he could push her so far into a haze. It was almost as though she couldn't breathe within it. 

"Mephisto..." She moaned. It was all she could muster. 

"Good girl." He praised. The king was pleased. He took off what remained of her clothing and his own and, as the bath finished filling, he carried her to the water. As he walked, she kissed his neck and collar bone. Her nails dug into his back with want. Y/n had checked out. What remained now was a lustful being that lived only for his love. 

He could barely compose himself long enough to get her into the bath. Her touch, her quivering, and her lust were to much. He had to do it now. He had wanted to wait a little longer but there was no chance of him having the patience. As they got into the tub, he pressed her up against the edge of the bath, her back faced towards him. A mild splash flung itself over the edge of the tub as he pressed himself against her body. Her breathing was especially heavy as he squeezed her breasts from behind. 

He was uncontrollably lustful as he took in her scent. He was helpless to his urges as he watched her claw at the tubs edge. He couldn't stop himself. He couldn't take the teasing sight. With not much of a warning, he entered her from behind. A whining moan released from her body. She had finally gotten what her soul desperately screamed for. Her lust was loud, as he moved from behind. The water splashed as they both became clouded with nothing but pure lust. Their moans had gotten loud enough to echo through the hallways of the manor. It caught the attention of a pair of blue orbs. 

A lollipop stick adjusted in his mouth to the sounds of the couple. The male got up and moved towards to sound. While peering through a bathroom door he found the king and his mate in the bath together. He pondered the kings actions as he watched him finish, afterwards cuddling with the girl in a satisfied manor. 

"Hmm...." he muttered to himself. "I thought he didn't like that one anymore....." 

Losing interest in their cuddling, he left the scene. Walking away he muttered one last thing while sucking on the flavourful candy still in his mouth. 

"Mating is strange....." He mumbled to himself. 

It seemed he would never understand his brothers actions.


	7. A Confusing Truth

Mephisto Pheles sat quietly looking over the piles of papers sitting in his office. It was early morning. The sun barely peaked over the horizon. His lover, who he had ravished the following night before, was still fast asleep and would remain that way for a few more hours. 

He smiled childishly at the thought of his bath with her. It turned out it was all he could think about. He had tired her out quite a lot that night but she loved every minute of it. He could practically still hear the sound of her moans and whimpers. The mere thought put him in a trance. 

The words on the papers began to jumble up into black blobs. He couldn't find the focus when her smell still lingered on his body. Yet, the documents had to be done. He had to focus. He had to forget about her for now. However that task held the same standing as asking him to paint the Mona Lisa. His painting and drawing skills were non existent and forgetting her, even for a moment, was also something that wouldn't happen It didn't matter how hard he tried. 

"Hello brother..." Said a familiar monotone voice, snapping him out of his trance. Yet another distraction for him but this one only annoyed him beyond belief. It was his brother, Amaimon. He was the king of Earth. He was, also, significantly weaker than his older brother in strength. This often resulted in Mephisto looking down on him. Yet, Amaimon liked to believe he was strong in his own way. That's why him and his brother were members of the Baal aka the royals of the demon world. They both shared an immense amount of power. However, his older brothers powers always seemed to contradict his own. Amaimon could create earthquakes while his brother could stop and reverse time before it happened to stop him from making them. 

It was annoying but he learned to tolerate it with thousands of years of practice. Yet even after thousands of years, Amaimon's obsessive need to win often resulted in him losing his tolerance. It was a constant battle for the demon king. 

"What do you want, Amaimon?" Mephisto asked, his irritation just barely showing. He tried desperately to hold in his annoyance for his younger sibling. If he were to anger the smaller demon, he would have to lock him away until his temper cooled. That was always something that took months. 

Amaimon sucked harder on his lollipop to the question. He could tell his brother was irritated. That would often lead to punishment if the wrong thing was said. He had to be careful but he decided to mention what he wished to mention anyways. It needed something to kill his boredom. 

"I saw you in the bath with that girl last night. I thought you didn't like her anymore?" He said, staring at his brother with a blank emotionless gaze. 

His brother frowned back at him now, furrowing his brow with what was obviously anger. Little did he know his younger sibling was genuinely curious about the interaction. However, it always seemed to Mephisto, that his brother tried to irritate him on purpose. Whether it was jealousy or likewise for a reasoning, he never did know. Amaimon always seemed to find some sort of joy in making his brother infuriated.

"That's none of your business." He hissed. "What do you actually want, Amaimon? You better hurry. Your starting to make me angry."

Amaimon blinked. He seemed visibly unfazed by the warning. Even while his brothers menacing gaze was no joke, Amaimon was never truly afraid of his brothers wrath. His ego often flew over any type of reasoning he had. Perhaps this was what irritated Mephisto the most. 

"I'm bored..." He told him. Mephisto sighed. Did the younger demon just come to bother him with nonsensical questions? He pinched his brow. One more second of breathing the same air as him would fuel his insanity. 

"Find some other way to amuse yourself than bothering me. I'm busy." He spat, waving his brother away. Amaimon shrugged as he left. He still wanted to know about his brothers mate. He decided to try and find her himself. If his brother wouldn't talk about it, maybe she would be able to tell him what changed in his brothers perception? 

          —————————————  
"That's amazing! You're such a good cook!" A voice praised. 

She looked around. She was within the voids barriers again. She was surrounded in darkness. 'Again?' She thought. It yet again seemed empty here. Until it wasn't. 

From the darkness emerged a boy with raven hair. It was Rin Okumura from the mall. With him, walked a silhouette. They seemed happy in each other's company. 

"Maybe one day you could be a chief?" The voice again said, echoing from no where. It was similar to her own. 

"Haha ya maybe.... that would honestly be really awesome." Rin said as he walked but suddenly stopped the silhouette. They both looked into each other's eyes now. Rin looked serious as he spoke: 

"Listen there's something I need to tell you...."

The silhouette looked at him expectantly saying yes? It awaited what he had to say. 

"I.....I.....I wanted to say that..." he began blushing at the ground. "I wanted to say that I really like you. Not just...... as a friend though......Yukio said I should tell you-" 

The silhouette smiled at him and held his hands. It said that they liked him too. Both smiling, they kissed, laughed then walked away together into the darkness with promises to each other of a future date. 

She was alone again. Then there was a light.

——————————

The sun rose above the horizon, shining in through a nearby window. As it got higher and higher in the sky, the sun beams stretched all the way to the bed on the other side of the room. She slept soundly until the beams shined on her face. It blinded her and even rolling away wouldn't help. She sighed. It was time to get up. 

Little did she know she had gotten nearly 10 hours of sleep. She had been especially tired out from the events of the previous night. The thought of it made her blush and smile. They had made love. An act that was very intimate. An act that allowed her to be very close to him. It was pleasing and helped ease the empty she felt without that intimate touch. 

As she rubbed her eyes and stretched her muscles, she noticed now that he had left at some point during the night. He was no where to be seen. She wondered where he could be as she got up from the comfortable bed. She wanted to find him just to make sure he was ok. It didn't feel right for him to have left during the night. It didn't seem normal of him to leave without saying goodbye. 

It didn't feel right being away from him. 

As she opened the door to leave her room, she nearly ran into a familiar face. It was Belial who had come with his medical cart. The butler had been expecting her to be awake around this time. He planned on doing his regular duties of taking care of her in his masters absence. It was almost habit now. He had been doing it for nearly 2 weeks. 

"Oh, Miss. l/n! Apologies. It appears I arrived a little late. Please take a seat on your bed. I have to reapply your bandages and prepare you some antibiotics." He told her. 

With a sudden moment of realization, she recalled her situation. She was still hurt and weak bodied. She still needed to be cared for. She had felt so much better that morning she nearly forgot. 

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll sit back down." She apologized, sitting back down on her bed so the butler could do his work. 

With nothing more, Belial pushed the squeaking cart over to y/n. She was very compliant, obeying everything he asked of her. She didn't seem to have any kind of second thoughts towards his actions. It was almost robotic for a human in his eyes. Most likely, it was something his master was responsible for. Whether that was a bad thing or not was still something to be debated. 

He had found himself in debate over this ever since she woke up and had changed. He had fought over simply going along with this. Then, just last night, he had finally come with an answer. It was small but he had an idea. Her robotic mindset wasn't right. In his pocket was a small gift for her. He hoped that the small gesture would help her remember. He could only hope. 

As he bandaged her leg again he had second thoughts about the gift. Was it really smart to defy his master like this? What if he got caught? This small gesture could cost him his life. 

"By the way Belial, do you know where your master went? He left some time during the night. I was going to look for him when you arrived." She asked. 

He was snapped from his thoughts. She wanted to know where his master went. It was an expected question she would be asking. He came prepared for such a question. He had strict orders from his master to give the correct answer. That answer was one he had given him to say. 

"Yes. My master has given me a message to give to you. He left because he had urgent work to do this morning but promises to come visit you later this evening. For now I am instructed to cater to your every need." He explained finishing with the medical treatment. 

She smiled saying a simple ok in compliance. She understood that he was busy. His fortune didn't just appear over night. He did have to work for it. As Belial packed up and took a breakfast food order down, his thoughts nagged him yet again. 'Give it to her.' It nagged. 'She has a right to know.' 

Then finally he decided, despite all odds and a likely death penalty, he grabbed her hands and placed the gift inside them. As he looked into the depths of her soul, he reminded her if she needed anything at all, that she was to call him and she was to remain on bed rest today. Before he left her, there was one last thing to mention. 

"Do not tell my master that you have this. Hide it, and keep it safe." He told her. Then, resuming his tasks, he left the room as if nothing had been said. He hoped her robotic and obedient behaviour would come in handy. It was important that it be a secret between them.

As she watched the butler leave with a fearful expression on his face, she couldn't help but be taken a back by his gesture. 'What was that for?' She thought. As she looked down in the palm of her hands now, she found his gift. It looked like some kind of paper folded two ways into a square. As she unfolded it, she noticed it was actually a picture. 

In the picture was the group she had ran into from the mall and 4 other new faces. One was of a boy who wore glasses. He looked similar to Rin. The second was of a purple haired girl. She seemed familiar. There was also a blonde boy with a puppet. He seemed distant in the photo. The final person was of another girl. She seemed very familiar to her. Almost as though she had spent a lot of time with her. They all posed in front of a unfamiliar statue. It seemed to be some kind of mascot. For what? She didn't know. They all looked happy as they posed with it. Then she noticed the strangest aspect to the picture. 

There she stood beside Rin. A smile on her face. She was happy. She seemed to be with friends. She was having fun. Yet, she couldn't remember any of this. She did know him after all. She spent time with him yet she couldn't remember. 'Why can't I remember?!' She thought desperately. 

So many questions popped into her head. Why couldn't she remember? What happened to their friendship? Why did the butler give this to her? Then came the most important question. Wouldn't Mephisto know about this? Did he lie to her in the limo during their trip?? Why couldn't she tell him about this?

What was going on? 

She felt an overwhelming dizziness. It was to much. The questions wouldn't leave her alone. After she hid the gift under the mattress of her bed, she decided to lay down until Belial returned. The butler should have answers. He gave the picture to her after all. 

What did the butler know that she didn't? She was going to find out one way or another.


	8. Hunters and Prey

The sun set over the manor as the green haired king returned from his search. He had spent most of the day sniffing around his brothers school for y/n. He searched the dorms, the classrooms, and many other recreational areas. She was no where to be found. Even her scent around the area had depleted into practically nothing. He just couldn't figure out why. It was frustrating. It was as though she had just disappeared. 

'Doesn't the human have ritualistic classes to attend?!' He thought as he walked through the front doors to his brothers home. He didn't understand humans. They were much to confusing to him. 

As he stepped inside onto the decorative rugs, he was dumb struck. Lifting his nose into the air, he began to sniff around the front lobby. It was her scent. But how? Was she still in the manor somewhere? She had to be. It was the strongest scent he had picked up all day. The hunter continued his search, following her scent up the stairs. 

The trail would lead him straight to her. The search would soon be over.

               —————————

"I apologize y/n, but this is something I absolutely cannot discuss with you. What I can tell you is that the gift I gave you holds the key. Look at it every day. Try to remember. That's the only answer I can give you." 

The words echoed in her head as she laid in bed staring at the picture of her and the group of friends. 'Remember...' She thought. 'I need to remember!' She had asked Belial for a reasoning regarding the gift. He had only given her those words as an answer. She was to remember by looking at the picture and she was not to mention it to him again. It was to 'dangerous'. 'But why?' She asked to her inner self. She was left with more questions than answers.

As her eyes darted across the picture, she found herself staring at Rin Okumura. His smile was one that radiated among the friends. He seemed the happiest within the group. She remembered her interaction with him at the mall. He felt like he knew her. Yet he didn't remember just as she had. Her entire life with her lover seemed off now as she stared into the boys smile. 

Why couldn't she remember such a radiant glow? It seemed like something she would never forget. He seemed like such a kind and caring boy. Then, a critical thought came to her. As she stared at the picture she noticed something crucial about her seemingly scrabbled memories. 

She couldn't remember any life she had before and without Mephisto. 

She gasped at the sudden realization and held her mouth in shock. She couldn't figure out what had happened. It was almost like most of her important memories were erased. Her birth, her childhood, and her friendships along the way. She hadn't noticed any sooner than now. She feared for her wellbeing as she gazed over at the mirror off to the side of her bed. She didn't even know who she was before. It was a painful realization. 'Was it the 'accident'?' She questioned. 'Or was it a cause from something else?'

"Found you." Spoke a mysterious monotone voice. 

Adrenaline shot into her veins as she jumped at the sight of an intruder. In her room stood Amaimon. He sucked impatiently on a lollipop staring at her form from a far. He noticed her bandaged leg and bruised forehead now as he stared at her. She was weakened. He thought this was interesting for a moment. But he soon lost interest in it. What was important now was the question he had been waiting to ask. 

Startled, y/n got up from the bed. She found the stranger extremely intimidating. His blank empty gaze seemed to curl her blood. What did he want? What did he plan on doing to her? Something about him and his stature she didn't like. It caused her to back away from him. She felt like screaming for help. This was only irritating to the demon king. 

"Who are you?!" She demanded. She hoped perhaps some servants nearby would hear her distressed voice. It was to no avail. No one seemed to be in that area of the mansion. 

Amaimon narrowed his eyes. How could she not know him? They had met before. He remembered having to kick her, her body flying into a tree like she were a rag doll. She had tried to get the girl he was using for bait away from him that night. He couldn't let a simple human stand in his way. He needed her to bait his younger brother into a fight. She had just been a complete nuisance until he discovered his older brothers strange obsession with her. He saw something in this human that he couldn't. That made her interesting. Yet her behaviour was still annoying. His brow furrowed as he questioned her saying "Is this some kind of joke?"

Flustered by the demons words, she picked up a nearby chair. She planned on using it for self defence. To Amaimon, this was the equivalent of throwing a small rock at a giant in hopes to badly injure it. It was useless. 

Despite her hostility, he advanced. He still wanted an answer from her. He wanted to know what made this human so special. 

"I thought you hated my brother. Why do you like each other now?" He asked. She could only panic. The stranger was uncomfortably close now. She only wanted him to leave. 

"Get away from me!!" She screamed, throwing the chair at him. Amaimon was unharmed. He had managed to catch it. Yet, her gesture only infuriated him. Not only had she, a human, underestimated his power by throwing the chair, but this girl had ignored his question. That was the one thing he hated most. He hated being ignored. 

"I hate being ignored!!" He boomed, pushing her into the wall behind her. She was frozen with fear. She didn't know what to do. His grip on her was tight enough to bruise. At this moment, she feared for the worst. The feared that this intruder would either kill her or worse. 

"Answer me!" He ordered. Then he froze. He felt it. It was his brothers presence. It wasn't the normal annoyed aura his brother displayed. This time his aura radiated pure rage. It was suffocating. 

Before her eyes, the intruder was gone. She wasn't sure what had happened. One second prior, he had held her against the wall in anger and now he was gone. 'Mephisto?' She asked herself. It was possible for him to be responsible. It was within the demon kings range of abilities. Despite a clear explanation, she came to terms that the intruder had been dealt with. She let out a sigh of relief as Belial raced to the scene.

"Is everything alright? I heard a scream. What happened, Miss. l/n?" Belial asked now looking over the room. He noticed a chair had been thrown out of its place and y/n stood frozen on the far end of the room. She looked sheepishly over to him. She was still shaken. 

"I-I was attacked.....A teenager .......with green hair ....... He came into my room. He demanded all sorts of things from me. I asked him to leave.....but then he got angry...." She told him, tearing up. Only now did the adrenaline start to wear off and allow her to feel her emotions again. It made her nearly cry at the thought of the experience. It terrified her.

"Apologies for not arriving sooner, Miss. l/n. Please allow me to assist you back into your bed." Belial spoke walking over to the shaken girl. Carefully he helped her back into her bed allowing him time to try and identify the intruder. A teenager with green hair. He thought for a minute and then it came to him.

"Miss. l/n, could you be describing my masters brother, Amaimon?" Belial asked. 

Y/n looked on at him with a blank gaze that was filled with thought. The name seemed familiar but she didn't remember anyone by the name of Amaimon. In response, she told him she couldn't recall. She could still feel her own heart beating against her chest. She was still shaking from the event. Weary now of her safety, she wanted Belial to stay until Mephisto arrived. Belial sat with her, obeying her wishes. 

He thought it was what his master would want him to do.

        —————————————

Amaimon was thrown off balance as he fell with a tumble into a new room. It was hard to see. The room was pitch black. Yet he still felt it. It was his brothers threatening presence. Desperately, he looked around the room for any sign of Mephisto. He couldn't pin point where his brother actually was. He didn't even give off a clear scent. 

"Brother?!" Amaimon barked into the darkness. He prepared himself for a fight. He knew when his brother was like this, he was going to have to fight. Which in often case led to the opponent losing to him. His older brothers power was stronger than most. 

Mephisto stared at his prey from a far, ready to strike. Amaimon had crossed a line this time and there was no turning back. He knew what he had to do. He had to give the smaller demon a clear message. He had to teach him a lesson. 

From the darkness Mephisto raised his hand into the air, then slowly closed it into a fist. Instantly, the demon reacted. Amaimon's body writhed to the floor with pain. Black veins started to grow all over his being and surge through his entire body. It was incredibly painful on the earth king. In an instant, Amaimon's demon features were forced out, leaving the younger demon vulnerable to his brother. From his head two green horns outstretched, both etched with red markings. A large green lizard like tail whipped out from the kings spine. Finally, the demons most vulnerable organ emerged from within the demons chest, beginning to pulse to his vessels heartbeat. It was his demon heart. 

Mephisto opened his fist, giving his brother time to collect on the cold floor. Like a predator he revealed himself slowly from the cloak of darkness. Amaimon cowered before him, unable to think of what to say or do. His mind turned off and so he defaulted to his instincts. That involved the cowering state he took towards the dominance of his brothers gaze. 

Mephisto picked up his brother by the neck and with his other hand squeezed his brothers heart. It caused an unbelievable amount of pain for Amaimon. At that moment as he could barely stare at his brothers grey compassionless expression, he feared death. He hadn't felt like that in eons. It was a feeling he had forgotten. He wasn't sure how. It was worse than any feeling he could've ever felt. 

After a few minutes of undeniable pain, Mephisto released his grip on his brothers heart. In the same breathe, he pulled his brother close, making him look into his eyes. Mephisto's normally green orbs changed to a blood red as he spoke. 

"If I catch you even breathing the same air as her again, I'll kill you and erase you from our timeline. No one will even know that you're gone." He hissed. 

He dropped his petrified brother to the floor now and left. Amaimon was frozen now as he tried to steady his breathing. He had almost died. His brother had almost crushed his heart. 

There would be no coming back after such an act. Crushing a demons heart was the soul way to kill them. It was not something to laugh about. It was no laughing matter. Amaimon couldn't help but curl up into a ball in the dark room. For what felt like an eternity without such a feeling, the emotion came back to him now. Someone had scared him beyond comprehension. 

Never before, however, had it been by the hands of his brother. He had learned his lesson.


	9. A Soothing Lullaby

Taking off his work gloves, he walked to her bedroom with a quickened pace. He wanted to get back by her side after she had nearly been scared straight by his brother. He wanted to hold her and keep her safe. He wanted his mate to be protected. 

When he arrived, he found Belial sitting by the bed like a loyal and obedient pet. He seemed to be taking his role of protecting y/n seriously, staying by her side until his arrival. This was pleasing to the king which earned brownie points for Belial. Mephisto could trust his loyal servant to keep her safe.

His eyes now wandered over to her nervous figure. In bed, she had covered her body in a protective blanket cocoon. She seemed, still, very nervous over the event until he came into her view. At the sight of him, she smiled allowing the nervousness to be replaced with happiness. She was relieved to be in his company. She felt secure in his presence. He went to her, feeling concerned. Humans were fragile. They could be easily broken. Amaimon's strength could of easily killed her to the kings distress. 

Luckily she seemed unharmed. Only a few bruises and scratches showed on her s/c skin from Amaimon's strong grip. He could breathe a sigh of relief. She would be ok. His brother was lucky. If she were found in any worse condition, the king would of rethought sparing his life. 

"Mephisto. I'm so glad your here." She cooed. She felt a flurry of emotions that made her forget all the questions about Belial's gift. When he was around, she questioned nothing. When he was near, there was only him, and that feeling was pure bliss. 

"I'm glad your ok. I heard about what happened, darling. Don't worry. He's been dealt with." He assured her. She crawled out of her cocoon and into his arms as he moved into her bed to join her. With a wave from his master, Belial knew it was time for him to leave. As he was instructed to close the door behind him, he looked at y/n's smile. It again reverted to her robotic happiness. 

She smiled like there was no hurt. She smiled like there was no sadness. She smiled like there were no lies. 

He frowned as he left the room. Quietly he hoped that she would remember so the cruelty in his nagging mind would end.

Back in the room Mephisto held her close. He cuddled her, stroking her head to calm her nerves. He whispered about her beauty and how he loved her into her ear. She couldn't help but smile ear to ear. Just like that, all the problems she had held onto flew out the window. All she craved now was to blissfully be with him. She wanted to be close to him just like they had been that night in the bath. She wanted that special affection.

In a hushed whisper, she told him. "I want to be close to you, Mephisto. I want your love. Make me yours." She whispered. With nothing but bliss, she kissed his lips. Mephisto, more than willing, returned the kiss and gently rolled her onto her back. As he now locked a gaze with her under his weight, he couldn't help but crave the closeness as well. He wanted to feel her embrace. He wanted her love. He would make her his. 

Leaning down, he nibbled on her collar bone, his mates lust feeding his own. She let out a moan in response, staring into a grey haze. She felt that hungry feeling build inside her. She wanted his touch. She wanted his affection. 

Impatient, she took off the top half of the business suit he had been wearing leaving nothing but a pink businessman's tie hanging down from his neck. Kissing her again, he discarded the top half of her outfit leaving her in her bra. The clothing she had worn was the top half of a cat themed pyjama set she had changed into the previous night. It was one of his picks from their trip to the mall. Even while he liked seeing her wear the moe style outfit, he preferred it off her. 

His hands ran up and down her form as he continued to kiss her. Eventually they wandered to the back of her strapless bra. He wanted to see her breasts. He wanted to witness they're succulent grace. With a click the material, now freed, slipped off her body and onto the floor below. He couldn't help look at them. He had anticipated the view. Exposed before him, he flashed a lustful expression. Bitting on his bottom lip, he took in the sight. It was beauty. Just like her. He was in love with the view. It was intoxicating. He could picture the way his tongue would caress them. The way he would suck them. It couldn't resist. 

Bending down, he took one of the breasts into his mouth, suckling it with pure lust. She moaned again from underneath him. She hadn't expected him to suck on her with so much want. Clawing at his back, she was lost in her own lust. It was addictive how he made her feel. It was like a drug to her. She couldn't stop begging for more with praising mews. The feeling was overwhelmingly powerful. 

As the moon rose, the act when on. He had licked her clean from between her thighs while she had sucked him dry. The night had gone on with the two throwing each other into a haze. Kissing her lips again he rolled her into her back. The blissful feeling inside her only grew stronger with each of his movements. As her hands dug into his hair, she couldn't help but drown in the feeling. They were closer than they could ever be. She couldn't be happier. 

Pulling out of the kiss, he whispered sweet nothings into her ear. It was as if he wanted to say something as he entered her. He felt the need to praise her. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she was. Yet no words could leave his lips. It wasn't often he was at a loss for words. Maybe she was overwhelming to him like this. Perhaps it was the overwhelming amount of love he felt at that moment. 

He was speechless as he took her under the moons glow. He didn't just feel lust. He felt a piercing love. He would live for her. He'd sacrifice everything for her. He would die for her. 

"Mephisto~" She purred as he finished, beads of sweat littering their bodies. The act was done. They both were immensely satisfied. He laid down beside her and pulled her close. His possessive demon instincts took over, holding onto her more tightly than usual. 

She was his. 

He only felt that love as he nuzzled into her h/c hair, taking in its scent. He had committed the smell to memory. Sometimes it was all he ever wanted to breathe. 

She buried her head into his warm embrace, holding him close to her. To the comfort of his warmth, y/n began to drift off into the dream world. Her last thought before her eyes went dark was a wish. She wanted him to stay until morning. 

She didn't want him to leave her alone. 

             ——————————

Opening her eyes, she awoke on a white couch. She was in some kind of office. 'It seemed familiar ....but how?' She thought. Looking towards the large desk, she noticed two silhouettes. One of them seemed to resemble her lover. It had all of his curves and features unique to his figure. The shadow even shared the same hair style. 

The other silhouette shockingly resembled herself. 

"Are you kidding me!" Her doppelgänger shouted. "He's just my friend! I went to get candy with my friend, Rin. Just because he happens to be a boy, I'm guilty of cheating?! That's why you slept with another school girl???" 

Her lovers shadow leaned back in its office chair, rolling its glowing eyes. 

"Oh please. Mr. Okumura obviously thought it was more. To make things worse you went along with it. The blushing....the laughing....Absolutely disgusting!" He said in a way that mimicked Mephisto's voice. The female growled in frustration. 

"You think this justifies you cheating on me?! Your unbelievable!!" She yelled. 

"I think I can do whatever I want!" He yelled louder. 

With frustration the females silhouette waved their hands in the air with disbelief. She was completely disgusted with the others behaviour. Y/n could feel her anger as she stood up from the couch. In an instant, she merged with the silhouette, now seeing through their eyes. The males silhouette had immediately changed. It was Mephisto. His face was furrowed into a possessive and angry glare. He looked ready to launch himself at her in a blind fury. Despite the threatening demeanour, with her own two lips,  
y/n yelled. 

"Whatever you thought this was is over! I never want to see your face again!" 

'Why did I say that?' She thought as she drifted away again. At that moment, before she had faded away, she felt the tears from the silhouette fall down her cheeks. 

She felt heart break.


	10. Moonlight Stroll

She woke up from the dream, dazed from how realistic it felt. It was like she were there, yelling at her lover and crying from the heartbreaking truth. She felt so upset inside the silhouette. She wanted to scream. Tears continued to roll down her cheeks, even outside of the dream. She could still feel the heartbreak. 

A heavy weight hung on her chest as she sat up, whipping the tears from her skin. It was a powerful dream. More emotionally powerful than the previous ones. She couldn't help but wonder why. What was the meaning behind her bizarre dreams? Then a thought came to her. She couldn't remember her life before Mephisto. Were these her memories? Did he and y/n have some kind of fight? 

The sound of rustling blankets snapped her from her thoughts. It was Mephisto moving in his sleep. It wasn't often that the demon slept since it wasn't necessary for him. The demon didn't need to rest. Often cases he didn't need to eat. Human things like these were a choice. A demons magic could easily make up for the lost necessities within their vessels. With the power of time, for example, he could easily make it so his vessel remained full and fed or well rested at all moments. But the demon liked to experience every aspect of human life. He liked to feel alive. 

Watching his human sleep had made him more inclined to do it with her and so he did. His chest rose and fell peacefully as he escaped from the consciousness of life. His face remained in a peaceful state. There was no emotions on his face. No smile. No frown. 

A soft grin crept onto her face as she watched him rest. She wanted to ask him so many things. She wanted to ask about the photo. She wanted to ask about the dreams. She most definitely wanted to ask about her life before him. Yet, she couldn't find the right way as she recalled Belial's warning.

"Absolutely,under no circumstances, are you to mention this picture to my master. It will ensue to be extremely dangerous." His voice echoed in her head. 

She trusted the butlers judgement. He knew things that she didn't. However, it bothered her to not know the truth. She remembered the fear in his eyes at the mere thought of talking about her past. Something had happened and she wanted to know. As much as she loved Mephisto, she wanted the truth. She wanted honesty. 

So, putting on a house coat, she decided to find the butler. If she could talk to anyone about the past, it would be him. As much as he didn't want to talk about it, she thought maybe she could persuade him. The moons white light gleamed through the windows as she wandered through the hallways. 'Where would she find him at this hour?' She thought. It was around 2:30 in the morning. The moon was still high. Crickets still sang. People slept soundly in there beds at an hour like this. However, Belial was a demon. She hoped he would still be awake. After such a powerful dream, she was desperate for some kind of answer. She needed someone to talk to.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she caught movement out one of the hallways windows. Down below in what appeared to be a well kept garden was a well dressed Belial holding a lantern. In his other hand appeared to be a watering can. It looked as though he was going to do some gardening. It was strange for him to be doing something like this during the night but that didn't matter to her. She was happy he was around to talk to. Going down a flight of stairs and out through a pair of double doors, she was now in a beautiful garden. 

In the moonlight, the flowers gleamed beautifully. They were planted in a plentiful collection of colour palettes rowed expertly with stones and fences. The flowers were all arranged along a cobble stone path. Every so often a bush or an evergreen archway decorated the walkways. It was a place to revisit later for its beauty but right now she had to focus on finding the butler. It was as though he had vanished. Then she saw it.

Further into the maze like garden was that soft orange lantern glow. He wasn't far away. The stone was cold as she walked bear foot towards the light. Her toes couldn't help but curl from the cold surface while she walked. When she got to him, she found him kneeling down in the dirt. He seemed to be tending to a sick flower. It's brown and weeping figure made her pity the plant. It looked almost beyond recovery. Yet, Belial sprinkled water onto the plant, even having a stick and some string with him to help it stand. He seemed to believe in the small purple petunia. Most gardeners would've pulled the dead flower out by the roots. 

"Good Evening." She greeted. Belial looked up in confusion with a smear of dirt on his cheek. He hadn't expected y/n to be awake and in a garden at that. He had expected to be alone to his gardening on the clear night. He was wrong to his own disbelief. 

"Miss, l/n. It's quite late. What brings you to the garden at this hour?" Belial asked. He was genuinely curious to know. Humans usually slept at such a time unless something had made them sick physically or mentally. She seemed fine physically. 'Perhaps something weighed on her.' He thought. 

"I was actually looking to talk to you. Do you have a minute?" She asked the butler. This seemed to intrigue him as he agreed and made his way out of the garden. He wasn't sure what she intended on discussing. Then he recalled it was probably something to do with his gift. Did she intend on questioning him again? This made him reluctant. Such a conversation could lead to his death. 

"I assume you want to ask me again about the photo?" He asked and she nodded. He was right. Even if the photos contents appeared to be troubling to her, he couldn't just casually talk about it with her. It was much to risky. The photo was to risky. The mere thought of such a conversation was more than dangerous now. His master was still home. 

"I'm truly sorry. I can't tell you anymore than I already have. It's much to risky. I've already risked to much." He told her. However, she didn't seem to give up. That robotic obedience seemed to be wearing off. She looked at him now with a desperation that actually looked like the human she was before. 

"Please. You can't just say that and expect me to not wonder why?" She pleaded trying to keep up with him. Instinctively he tried to avoid the question physically and began to walk at a faster pace down the stone path. 

"Please listen to me. I've been having these strange dreams. I have a suspicion that these dreams are memories. The one I had tonight seemed so real! I could feel the heartbreak even after I woke up. Plus it's so strange that I can't remember a life before him. Please! If you know anything at all, please tell me. Did Mephisto hurt me in the past?" 

He froze from his fast paced walk, dropping the watering can from his grasp. A loud clammer rang out into the night, waking birds, silencing crickets, and awaking him from his slumber. Belial hadn't expected her to question him like this. She was beginning to remember after all. But how could he tell her? How could he tell her about something like this? Speaking now would only result in bad omens for him. His master would surely come for his head and his heart. 

He didn't know what to do. He was at a loss. He felt sorry for her. He wanted to help her and this fact was true. But how could he? Then an idea occurred to him. His master may have sworn him to secrecy but not others like Rin Okumura. 

"There is something that I can do......I cannot talk to you about it but I can arrange for you to meet someone who can. Tomorrow my master is going to the Vatican for a meeting. You can get the answers you seek then." He told her. "Goodnight, Miss. l/n. Please get some rest."

With that he left her in the garden and using his powers, he had whisked himself away. He felt his presence nearby. He needed to disappear as fast as he could. Speaking to her alone at night would raise suspicion. If he had caught the topic of conversation as well, he would most definitely be dead. 

She, on the other hand, hadn't quite gotten what she wanted from Belial. His ominous vanishing only raised more questions. Yet, she was happy that he would help her find the truth. She couldn't stop herself from wondering who Belial planned on arranging her to meet and why it had to be done behind Mephisto's back. A heavy cloud hovered over her now. For once, she felt afraid in her lovers manor. 'Had Mephisto actually hurt me in the past?' She asked herself. Something was very wrong. She could feel it in her soul. 

"Darling, you nearly gave me a scare!" Mephisto announced, hugging her from behind. She nearly jumped out of her skin. She hadn't noticed his presence. Maybe that was why the butler vanished so quickly?

He could feel her heart beat fast in her chest. Her body shook to his touch. It made him curious. He looked into her soul and he could easily see that this wasn't from any kind of arousal. She was afraid. This wasn't normal for her. She was acting strange. 

"I'm sorry, darling. I didn't mean to scare you. What are you doing out here? It's rather chilly."

She knew she had to shake off the fear in her body. It was just him. Her lover and her best friend. He wouldn't hurt her. He cared about her. He said so just last night. She was being silly. She had nothing to fear but her own thoughts. Shaking it off, she gave him a warm smile. She wanted to keep her promise to Belial. 

"I was just going for a walk but I never noticed you. You gave me a scare." She laughed. This brought a smile to his face. 

She would've seemed fine to anyone else but he had the ability to see right through her. She was hiding something from him. She knew something. Yet, he decided to play along with her lie for now. She needed rest. 

"Come on." he assured her. "Let's get you back into bed. Your rest is important." 

Agreeing, she walked with him inside and back to her room. All the while he could tell things were on her mind. It ate at him as he cuddled her. It continued to eat as she fell asleep in his arms. It caused him to panic just like a human might. 

Had she gained some of her memories back? Why did she need a walk in the dark? Was it to clear her mind? From what? Had he said something? Was it Amaimon's attack? It ate and ate until he couldn't take it. He was going to get to the bottom of it. 

One way or another.


	11. Preparations

The morning sun rose over the horizon beginning the next day. Sun rays shined in from her bedroom window, inviting her back to her waking hours. She wasn't annoyed by it today, trying to roll away from it, or trying to cover her eyes. She accepted it with a stretch, feeling well rested. She felt like she had slept an eternity. Now, she was more than ready to attack what the day would bring forward. She felt like she could deal with anything until she remembered her talk with Belial. 

It brought an uneasiness to her person, practically erasing the readiness she had felt. Today, while Mephisto was away, he planned on having her meet with someone from her past. It was all to help her with her missing memories. A million questions already came to mind, all of which she hoped to ask. Who was she before? Where did she originate? Where were her parents? Friends? Most importantly, why couldn't she remember? They were all valuable questions. She hoped the person she would be meeting would have the answers. It was a big day of mystery and discovery. It was part of what made her so uneasy. 

As she sat up from her pillows, she noticed again she was alone in her bed. Mephisto was no where to be found. He had left some time while she was asleep. However, where he had been beside her in the bed was a freshly cut rose and a note. Curiously, she picked it up and began to read it. 

"Good Morning, Darling. I'm sorry for not staying until morning. I had a meeting I nearly forgot about today. I didn't want to wake you. I'll be returning from the Vatican at around 3pm. If you need anything at all, ask Belial. Remain beautiful like this rose while I'm gone. 

-Mephisto"

The note made her smile as she smelt the rose. At moments like this she was reminded that Mephisto loved her dearly. It made Mephisto's behaviour over her past, all the more, a mystery. Perhaps something traumatic happened in her past. Was he trying to protect her? As she stared at the neatly handwritten note, she couldn't help but wonder why she couldn't simply ask him herself. What was Belial do afraid of?

"Good morning, Miss. l/n. I trust you slept well." 

Looking up from the note, she found Belial. With him he pushed a trolly of medical supplies. He planned on again reapplying bandages to her leg. Soon, however, the trolly would be unnecessary. She could practically dance on her left leg now. Even so, Belial seemed to be very careful in situations like this. He treated her like the flower in the garden. He used a soft touch and an open heart. He took care to every detail. He, especially, didn't take any chances with her physical condition. Any wrong move or an action that would make her healing process reverse would indefinitely be the end for him. His master would be infuriated. 

As he removed her bandages, he thought about the day ahead. He knew he had to explain what she would need to do. This meeting would be extremely risky. Rules would have to be set in place. Also, he had to establish a sort of confidentiality with her. The demon king could never know. 

"I suppose I should explain how today will work." He began with a stern expression. Y/n listened intently. "This meeting will need to occur between now and 3pm. My master can't be around when we have it. You see this meeting goes against his wishes. If he were to find out, he would have my head. Yet, I believe you have a right to your past. So today I will arrange for someone of your choice to meet with you despite the risks. You may pick from the picture I gave you while I take your breakfast order to the kitchen."

She felt a surge of overwhelming second thoughts. Belial had just told her that this meeting would in danger him. Not only this, but it would anger Mephisto with the fact it was going against his wishes. She thought about how slimy it felt to go behind his back after everything he had done. Was it really worth the information? It could jeopardize her relationship. She still loved him dearly. 

As Belial took her breakfast order and left, she snatched the picture of herself and the group of friends from its hiding place and now studied it. 'Should I really betray his wishes?' She questioned, almost tearful of how upset it would make him. But, the butler was right. She did have a right to know about who she was before and, according to Belial, this was the only way Mephisto would approve. He couldn't know. He could never know.

Sighing she decided. She would go through with the meeting. Now all she had to do was choose someone from the picture. Y/n couldn't quite put her finger on it as to why but again that raven haired boy seemed so important. Something about him was the most alluring to her. It felt like he would know her best. That smile spoke many words to her. It was like he were reaching out through the picture. At that moment, she made her choice.

When Belial returned with her breakfast, she would tell him. Before 3pm that day, she would meet with the raven haired boy, Rin Okumura. 

               ——————————

It was a chilly and sunny Saturday morning. It seemed almost to cold for a fall day. Belial was at odds with his light jacket. He could feel the breeze  snake through the fabric. It was practically useless against the frigid air. Still, it was a problem to be dealt with later. For now, he had to find Rin Okumura upon y/n's request.

Being a Saturday morning, he thought it would be best to go to the teens dormitory first. He assumed, because it was still early, the teen would be there. He could see the aspiring chef preparing himself and his brother breakfast. They were the only two occupants of the dorm afterall. 

For supernatural reasons, it was necessary that they stayed away from the regular dorms. It ran a risk of accidental deaths or worse. The particular teen in question wasn't always in control of his demonic powers. The teen still found himself struggling in more ways than one. To Belial, it was understandable. There were no other beings in history quite like him before. In his shoes, he imagined he'd be similar. 

Belial walked up to the old dormitory doors and began to knock. His knock echoed throughout the empty building and easily caught the attention of a boy who wore a thick pair of glasses. His name was Yukio Okumura, Rin Okumuras younger twin brother. He was an extremely intelligent young teen, already being an aspiring exorcist and teacher. He outshined his younger brother in almost every way yet he still was only human. He never inherited any demonic power at birth. As far as scientists could tell, he was a normal human child. 

Yukio opened the door, adjusting his glasses to see the butler. He hadn't expected to find Belial on the other side of the door. Anyone else would of been more likely. It intrigued the teen. When Belial was around, it was usually on behalf of Mephisto. Yukio furrowed his brow and frowned to the thought. He couldn't help but be annoyed at the mere thought of him. Good things never seemed to come from the tall mischievous demon.  

"Good Morning, Mr. Okumura. Apologies for bothering you this early on a Saturday but is your brother home?" Belial asked. Yukio frowned. He was still rather tired from the gruellingly long Friday. After such stressful days, he found himself rather salty the following mornings. 

"What does Mephisto want with my brother on a Saturday?" He questioned, feeling the irritation boiling in his being. The longer he had to stand there answering the butlers questions, the more irritated he felt. 

"Actually I'm not here on behalf of my master." Belial explained. "I'm here to ask a favour of your brother." 

Overhearing the word brother, Rin came to the door now knowing the unannounced company was probably here for him. The older teen often found that his younger brother, Yukio, liked to poke into his business. Whether it was finding the hidden failed test or the sudden attitude change that no one else noticed, he often tended to play the role of protective older brother better than Rin. 

The older teen stared blankly at the butler. He didn't quite recognize him at first. To any other person, he was simply an older gentlemen in a tuxedo. For Rin, at the moment, he was nothing more until the butler began to speak. 

"Ah good, your home. If you don't mind, I would like to ask a favour of you. Are you free any time before 3 pm today?" The butler began. Rin was dumbstruck. He now recognized the man as Mephisto's butler. He often showed up in situations related to the king. Now, the butler asked for a personal favour. Rin couldn't find a reason why. Not even his brother Yukio could come up with one. 

"Ugh, aren't you Mephisto's servant or something? What kind of favour do you need from me?" He asked. Belial adjusted to the question. He was weary to answer it in the light of day. He was afraid his master was watching. Even while he was busy with other business, the king of time always seemed to be able to find out about things like this. He could bend space and rewrite time after all. 

"Well it's more of a favour for someone I serve. She wanted to meet with you and ask you a few things about the past. I believe you met her at a mall a few days back. Does the name y/n l/n ring a bell?" Belial asked, expectantly. 

Rin's stature immediately changed to the mention of the name. He had been thinking about her since that day, worried that his intuition might actually be right. It haunted him with every passing day, making him sneak off to the district mall occasionally in hopes to catch her again. He wanted to make sure that she wasn't actually in danger. He couldn't live with himself until he knew for certain. It was like a god had answered him, having the butler come like this wanting to arrange for them to meet. It was like fate. 

"You know her?!" Rin said, raising his voice as he questioned the butler. "Please!" He begged him with the eyes of a haunted man. "You have to take me to her!"


	12. Meeting with Fate

Loosening his tie, Rin Okumura looked up at the familiar and large mansion. His meeting with his fate waited for him through the wooden double doors. He couldn't help but feel nervous, shifting where he stood. He couldn't stop thinking about his brothers words of wisdom. They were said before he left for this meeting. The younger brother had second thoughts.

"He's Mephisto's butler. Can you really trust what he's saying? What if this is all a lie, Rin?" 

'And what if it's not?' He thought in response. He wanted to take the chance. It felt so important to him. Belial said she was inside waiting for him. She was right through those doors. Yet, Rin found himself hesitant of what laid beyond. His brothers words still nagged at him. 

"Right this way, Mr. Okumura." Belial told him, gesturing to the inside of the mansion. The butler stood beside the now opened doors, expectant of him to come through, but he noticed the hesitation in the teen. It was Mephisto's house. A demon kings house. It was a place that always made Rin weary. At that moment he couldn't help but wonder what she would be doing in a place like this. Was she here under Mephisto's request? 

"Did Mephisto arrange this? Why would she be in Mephisto's house?" He asked. Belial frowned. It was a hard question to answer. As they walked in together he tried his best to give him an answer. 

"Y/n lives here with him. When my master is away, I care for her. The situation is rather complicated to explain. You might be better off asking her yourself." He told him. 

They now stood in the entrance to a living space. There were couches set up decorated with plants and tables nearby. They all faced what appeared to be a sort of fire place with small flame crackling peacefully. Sitting on one of the couches was y/n, clasping a cup of warm tea in her hands. She wore one of her newest sweaters and jeans bought on her trip to the mall. Rin was dumbstruck yet again. It was her. It was the girl he had been looking for. 

"It's actually you." He said, catching her attention. He was mesmerized by her. He thought she was beautiful. It made him blush when she flashed him a warm smile. It may have been a cold day out but at that moment he felt exceptionally warm. 

"I'm so glad you came. Please. Come sit down." She beckoned, gestured to the sofa across from her. Rin wasted no time walking over to the sofa to sit with her. He had just started to think that he wouldn't see her again. He couldn't believe that now she sat across from him. He could ask her whatever he wanted. He could finally have his peace of mind. 

"I.....I haven't stopped thinking about you since I saw you last. I felt like you were in danger. I'm not really sure why......I wanted to see you again to make sure you weren't." He told her. She smiled. The thought was so kind. It made her feel warm. Although the fact that he thought she was in danger made her frown. Belial had already hinted to a sort of endangerment. Now, so did him. She wanted to know why. But she had so many things to ask him first. 

"Rin?" She asked. "Do you remember me before we met at the mall? We've met before." 

Rin opened his mouth, almost wanting to say yes but no words escaped from between his lips. He couldn't remember her even while he felt like he should. He felt like he needed to remember. It was important.

"No I don't..... but I feel like I'm supposed to.....Do you remember me?" He asked now. She shifted nervously revealing the paper beside her on the sofa. It was all the evidence she had as proof of their friendship. She didn't even have her own words. The picture was her only proof. 

"I don't.....but I do have this." She told him, giving him the photo. He stared at it blankly. He knew the photo well. It was a photo that was taken on his trip to Kyoto. All his friends posed by the statue just as he had remembered. There was only one difference. Now   
y/n was there posing beside Rin. 

He didn't know what to think of the photo in his hands. That picture was taken during an exorcist class field trip. Only first year esquires were taken there. That would mean that y/n would've had to be one of the few students enrolled. Yet he couldn't even remember her. Not even a little. 

He began to get a horrible head ache. It ached and ached the more he stared at the image. It intensified to the point the teen couldn't even hold the picture in his hands. He couldn't even see straight. He held his head, crying out in pain. He couldn't understand what was happening and neither could y/n who had rushed to his aid. 

"Are you ok?! Belial, we need help!"   
Y/n yelled. The butler hurried to his side but seemed unsure of how to aid them. His headache was most likely some kind of reaction to his masters powers. The demon had lived long enough to see similar things occur but this was something he had yet to see. It was part of why he was at a loss for how to help. His masters power far exceeded his own. It's potential was practically limitless. 

Pictures and voices flooded into the confused Rin's eyes and ears. He was reliving things in a single minute. It hurt his eyes, it made his ears ring, and his head pulsed with every passing second. He was in unbearable pain. Then, it stopped in the same minute. He could see. He could hear. Yet, he wasn't fine. 

He remembered everything. 

"Are you ok?" Y/n asked again, worry dripping from her face. Rin looked up at her, tears welling in his eyes. He remembered her. She was in his class. She was everyone's friend. The two were best friends and lovers. Then he took her away. 'I let him take her away..' He thought, feeling the guilt fill his whole being. 

"I'm so sorry!" He cried, nearly breaking into tears. "I remember everything. I let this happen to you! I couldn't stop him, I-" 

He froze at the realization. Rin noticed he was in the most dangerous place he could possibly be. They were in the most dangerous place they could possibly be. He could be anywhere. It was a dragons nest. A lions den. At any moment he could fall prey to the hunter. He knew he had to get her out. 

"We're in his house." Rin said, looking around in a panic. "We have to get you out of here. We have to get you out!" 

Rin pulled y/n frantically to the front doors to Belials dismay. He begged the teen to reconsider. If she left now, his master would go into a frenzy. Mountains would fall. Storms would brew. Lives would be taken. But Rin didn't care. He loved y/n. He wanted the best for y/n. He'd do anything for y/n. 

"Wait!" Y/n said, snapping out of her overwhelmed haze. She didn't want to go with Rin. She barely knew the teen. Never mind, she couldn't begin to comprehend what exactly he was talking about. Nothing he said made sense. She had to get him to at least explain himself first. She wasn't about to leave with a stranger. 

"I don't want to go with you. I don't know who you are. This is my home and it's the only one that I can remember. Nothing your saying is making any sense." She told him. His panic only became more frantic. 

"You.....you really don't remember?   
Y/n please! You have to trust me! We can't talk here. It's to dangerous. He might hurt you again. I can't let that happen!" Rin begged her, tears rolling down his face now. 

She felt the need to say yes. She didn't like to see him cry. It hurt her deeply and made her feel selfish. He knew something that she didn't. The only way she would learn anything more was if she left with him. It wouldn't be such a bad idea. It was nearly 2pm. Mephisto wouldn't be home until 3 according to his note. She could be back before he would even notice. 'It wouldn't hurt to here him out.' She thought. She felt like it was important to go with him. 

As she opened her mouth to respond to Rin, she couldn't. He had come back from his meeting early. 

"Mr. Okumura.... What a lovely surprise." He said, venom seeping from every word. There was a certain hatred in his face in response to the teens presence. He couldn't hide it this time. He was furious and practically boiled with rage. Defensive and protective, Rin got in front of y/n. He was determined to protect her. This time he wanted to do it right. 

"Get away from her!! Stay back! I'm serious!" He screamed grabbing y/n's arm. He dragged her along with him into a hallway but he couldn't get any further. Black demonic shadow like demons wearing masks blocked them in. Rin panicked. He was trapped. He couldn't protect her and, at that moment, he felt like he couldn't protect anyone. 

"Who the hell are you guys!" He cried as they closed in. Falling to adrenaline and instinct, the half demon burst into blue flames starling y/n. She hadn't known he was only half human. She could only assume he had caught fire somehow. 

"Back off! I'm warning you!" Rin hissed. The masked demons didn't listen, coming closer. They had strict orders to follow after all. With pure fear and panic, Rin exploded into flame and so did the demons. They all looked at themselves, then looked at each other. The flames engulfed them but they were unfazed. The flames had no effect to Rin's disbelief. Before he could even react, two demons grabbed him from behind and began to drag him towards the front doors.

All the while, y/n watched as he screamed and flailed. He yelled at the top of his lungs for them to let him go. He yelled about how Mephisto was a monster and even louder about how he wasn't going to get away with this. Rin vowed to stop him. What exactly Rin meant, she still had no clue. 

The demons threw Rin out of the manor and with the help of Mephisto, through a portal leading to a place much further away from the mansion. It would take Rin a while to get back if he chose to return. It bought the king time. He needed to clean up the mess left behind by the teen first. He would deal with Rin later. 

Y/n couldn't believe the scene that had unfolded. She stood there frozen with disbelief. What was supposed the bring her answers only brought her more questions. She didn't know what to do. She could only panic. What did Rin mean? Why was he trying to get her away from Mephisto? What was Mephisto hiding? 

Had she been living in lies? 

As Mephisto walked closer to her, she couldn't help but back away from him. For once she felt afraid in his company. She felt like she couldn't breathe. His expression displayed something that wasn't anything like the lover she had known. It wasn't warm or welcoming. It wasn't passionate and loving. It was grey and cold. It was pure hatred. At that moment, all the love for her he felt shattered in an instant. She was afraid of him. That was enough to destroy his being. She was enough to destroy him. 

With this energy steaming off his body, he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her up the flight of stairs that led to her room. His grip hurt her. It cut off her circulation. It nearly drew blood. His anger showed her no mercy.

"Mephisto! What are you doing?! Your hurting me!!" She cried, clawing at his grip. She tried desperately to free herself but to no avail. Tears streamed down her face knowing he was angry with her. She screwed up. The simple meeting had gone the worst way it could. It all crumbled to pieces. 

Still surging with that grey emotion, Mephisto threw her into her room. She nearly tripped to the ruff shove. Tears ran down her face out of fear out of what he might do next. There was no telling what he would do when he was overcome with that grey haze. It was purely demonic. It was raw rage. It only grew seeing that fear in her eyes. That drove him mad. 

Raising his hand, he slapped her hard enough to cause her to topple over. She fell with a thud onto the floor. He hit her. It was something she never expected from the usually kind lover. Y/n laid there stunned, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had never been hit by Mephisto before. She never thought that she would be. She felt so hurt. She felt so alone. As he slammed the door and locked it behind him, she couldn't help but just cry to the new feelings. As his footsteps got further and further away, she found herself getting louder, the guilt only rising. 

'What have I done?!' She thought crying on the cold tiled floor. 'What have I done?'


	13. Erased

Screaming out in anger, Mephisto threw all the objects off his desk causing most to shatter and break against the hardwood floor. He was so infuriated that he even felt a tinge of blood lust. He hated how he let it happen. He tried everything to avoid this worst case scenario. Yet, it was just his luck for something like this to come into play. Rin Okumura had recalled everything, infiltrated the mansion, and even had the audacity to try and kidnap y/n.

He wanted to kill him. He wanted to kill Belial for letting him in. He wanted to kill her for even listening to the teen. He wanted to kill everyone else just for existing while he suffered. Screaming out in agony he flipped the desk, flinging it across the room and into the opposing wall and door. All he could feel was a need for violence, but he couldn't focus on that now. 

He had no choice but to bury that feeling down. He had to focus on what had to be done. He had to deal with the current situation and take back control. He couldn't be like his younger brother, Amaimon, and rampage like an ill mannered child. It was true that these feelings of possession and attraction were something foreign to him. It was also true that they invoked an anger and passion that he never felt before. Yet, he still felt above them. He needed to be above them. 

What he needed now was to focus and devise a plan. First on his agenda was Rin Okumura. He knew the stubborn teen would be back. Afterall, he was never one for smarts. Even while to most it would seem smarter to stay away, he knew the teen would not. He wasn't one to give up. Mephisto knew this all to well. 

That was why it was important to deal with him first. He knew exactly what to do. 

—————————————

The exorcist shop glowed bright into the dark Saturday evening. A small occasional puff of smoke leaked from a small chimney into the cold. A hand painted open sign decorated the front door, welcoming patrons inside. Sitting at the front desk to the shop was a small blonde girl wearing a traditional styled kimono. She sat patiently for customers, fiddling her thumbs and humming an unrecognizable tune. 

Her name was Shiemi Moriyama. She was left in charge of the shop by her mother who had left for a grocery run. It wasn't a difficult task. Usually she wouldn't find herself getting many customers. On an evening like today, she would find herself running away from reality. Her mind often wandered. However that wouldn't be true tonight as a frantic knock rapped on the wooden shop door. 

"Come in!" She yelled to the visitor. Getting up to welcome them, she noticed the visitor had already come in. It was a familiar face to the shy girls relief. The raven haired visitor was Rin Okumura but to her dismay the usually cheery boy looked at her with a teary gaze. She knew it wasn't normal for the teen to be so upset. Even in the most dire situations, Rin never dared to cry from the pain. Seeing him like this Shiemi knew something was very wrong. 

"Rin? Are you alright? Did something happen?" She asked while studying him better. He looked as if a tragedy had occurred. His hair was mess, his eyes were blood shot, and his face was as pale as snow. He looked on at her with a sheepish tear jerking gaze. He was troubled beyond belief and it was all because of y/n.

He had tried all day to gather a rescue team of his friends and family. He told them all the situation. Mephisto was keeping her trapped. Her memories were gone. He had somehow forgotten her but now he remembered. He remembered it all. All that was left was for his and y/n's friends to help rescue her. Yet, there was only one problem. No one remembered y/n except him. 

Not his brother. Not his classmates. Not any of their friends. His only hope was Shiemi. In fact, she was the last one he could ask. He could only hope that even a morsel of her soul would know y/n. He hoped he wouldn't get that aggravating blank stare yet again. 

"Shiemi! Please tell me you remember y/n!" He begged. She couldn't help but be confused. She had no memories of y/n before the mall. His question only confused her more. 'Wasn't that the name of the girl from the mall?' She thought. 'Why would something like that make him so upset?' 

"Y/n...? Isn't that the girl you bumped into at the mall?" She asked. Rin shook his head. That was the only thing anyone remembered. He didn't understand what was going on. There were so many memories they had all spent together. So many classes were spent together. Missions. Even outings and parties. Rin couldn't understand. Y/n was close with Shiemi. She had to know. She had to remember.

"Yes! She was in our class, Shiemi!" He cried. "She was your friend! She was my girlfriend! Don't you remember?!"

Shiemi wasn't sure how to react. She didn't remember anything. She didn't remember y/n even being in a class with her. She didn't remember him even having a girlfriend. Rin, to her, seemed all the more delusional as time ticked on. Yet, part of her wanted to believe him. That expression of pure grief made her only want to make his sadness go away. She wanted that warm smile to appear on his face again. She decided to start with telling him her truth. 

"I don't remember any of that, Rin. I'm sorry. She did seem familiar. Was she really in one of our classes?" She asked generally curious. 

Rin only got more frantic. Shiemi didn't remember. If she didn't remember then who would? Who would help him and risk their lives to save a stranger? He didn't know what to do. He didn't know where to go. He couldn't focus. He could only think about how y/n was in danger. He had to do something. 

That was when it struck him. There was a way to help them remember. All he needed to remember was a picture of y/n with all of them together. He needed the Kyoto picture. Everyone had a copy of that photo. Even Shiemi. If he showed it to her, maybe she would remember too. 

"Wait. Do you still have that group picture of everyone from Kyoto? The one with the funny mascot?" He asked, hopeful that she did. 

She smiled to the thought. She remembered the picture well. She had spent the entire day sight seeing with her friends after that mission in Kyoto. Many pictures were taken that day but the specific mascot picture was one of her favourites. It sat framed on the shop desk just behind her. Although she wasn't sure what it had to do with Rin's current situation. 

"Yes. It's right here. My mom got it framed for me. I really liked the picture. See?" She said, showing it to him.

He took it in his hands. Rin remembered it well. He had just seen the picture earlier during the day. All the poses were the same. Everyone's facial expressions were unchanged. Everything seemed right. There was only one problem. Y/n was missing. She was completely erased. Rin's jaw dropped in disbelief. The picture had changed. He didn't know how. He didn't know why. In pure shock, he dropped the picture from his hands causing it to break on the floor. 

Shiemi flinched to the sound of the glass breaking against the shops wood floor. She hadn't expected it to drop from his hands. She didn't know how to react as Rin held his head. He looked worse than when he came in. He seemed to be in a trance now. She had only been trying to help him. She had only made it worse.

"R-Rin?" She stammering trying to snap the teen back to reality. Rin stared at what seemed like nothing, shutting down completely. Shiemi wanted to cry seeing him like that. She cared deeply for Rin but she knew she wasn't enough. She needed help. 

As if on cue, the shops phone began to ring. After years of experience from running her families shop, she knew exactly what to do and what to say. She picked up the phone and let slip a soft spoken hello. On the other line was another familiar voice. It was Rin's older brother, Yukio Okumura. 

"Shiemi, it's Yukio. Have you seen Rin?" He asked. Shiemi looked up at Rin. He was still in a frozen state, staring now at the photo. It started to scare her. She didn't know what was so wrong. Thankfully she had the perfect person on the line. Who better to help than Rin's own brother?

"Yuki! Yes he's here-" She began but found herself interrupted. The younger twin had been looking for him nearly all day after his meltdown at their dorm. Rin had come home from his meeting acting hysterical. Yukio didn't know how to react. He'd never heard of a girl named y/n before now. He firmly deduced his brother to be possessed. His younger brother, taking responsibility after their fathers death, knew he had to handle this before it got out of control. 

"Keep him there, Shiemi! And stay where you are! I'm coming to you." He told her, abruptly hanging up. For once she knew exactly what she had to do. She had to keep Rin at the shop. It was easy enough. That was how she would be of aid the most. Opening her mouth to talk to Rin, she looked up to see that he had practically vanished. He was already gone. The door to the shop was left open to the cold fall air. It banged against the wall from the cold breeze blowing in. He was no where to be seen. 

"Rin!" She yelled running towards the open door. She couldn't lose him. She had to get him help. Running onto the porch just outside the shop, she stopped nearly frozen in her steps. Again he was no where to be found. He had managed to completely disappear. She broke into tears from her frustration. She hated herself at that moment. 

She wanted so much to help others. That night, she couldn't. She felt useless.


	14. A Warning

Dazed and confused, Rin ran as fast as he could along the sidewalk leading back to his dorm. Tears streamed down his face. The situation was worse than he thought. Nothing made sense. It was like y/n never existed. Rin knew it was all Mephisto's doing. He made everyone forget her. Mephisto was responsible for this mess.

Rin remembered the kings confession to him. Mephisto admitted to being a demon king. He was the king of time and space. The demon had the ability to do something this big. He was the only one that could. He was the only one that would. Rin's blood boiled just to the thought of Mephisto. He was going to make him pay. He was going to pay for everything. 

Picking up his pace, he knew this was something he had to do alone. His friends couldn't help him this time. He planned on grabbed his demon sword first from his dorm. Then, once he had it, he would go to Mephisto's mansion. He had to save y/n. That was the only thing he could think about. Nothing else mattered nearly as much. He needed to fix this mess. He had to make it right. 

But he would have to get through him first. 

With a snap of the kings fingers, Rin was in his office. He looked around in a frantic panic. He recognized the room to his horror and turning to the desk, he recognized Mephisto. He stared at the teen with a threatening dark gaze. Rin felt cornered without his weapon. The feeling made him want to run as fast as he could but there would be no running from him. The doors were locked. He couldn't get them open. He was trapped.

"Mr. Okumura, if I was going to kill you, I would've done so already. Please. Take a seat." He told him motioning to the chairs in front of his desk. Rin decided to play along and sat in one of the chairs. He swallowed nervously staring at Mephisto's unusually angry stare. It was more menacing than the smug smirk he usually wore. It sent chills down Rin's spine. 

"What do you want from me?! I know what you did. She's not even in pictures  anymore." He began. Feeling his own powerful rage he stood up from his seat. "What the hell is-" 

He didn't get a chance to finish. Using his powers the king forced the teen to sit back down. The sudden powerful force silenced him. Rin couldn't hide the fear in his eyes. 

"Maybe you should silence that mouth of yours for once." Mephisto hissed. Rin couldn't find the will to retaliate. He may have showed anger and disgust on his face, but Mephisto could see his shaking hands. 

"I called you here to talk to you. I want to make something very clear so that even you will understand." Mephisto began. Rin listened intently. He had no choice. 

"It would be much easier to just wipe your memory again but you see, that would only make you brain dead. Your no use to me that way. I plan on using you as a pawn afterall. I can't simply get another Rin Okumura to take your place. This being said, your friends and your family are more than expendable. So I'll get to the point of all this. Forget y/n or face my wrath. Wouldn't want the rest of your friends disappearing to now would we?" 

Rin sat completely in aw. Mephisto had threatened to make his friends disappear. He threatened to bring down a fiery demonic fist on the teen. Rin almost couldn't breathe. He was  scared and angry at the same time. He didn't know what to feel first.  'How dare he?!' He thought, feeling his inner demon rise inside of him. 'How dare he threaten me?!'

With pure demonic rage, Rin threw a flaming blue fist at Mephisto. It nearly hit the older demon directly in the face but a mysterious force stopped him in his tracks. Rin found he couldn't even move. He was completely dumbstruck. With Mephisto's own boiling fury, he grabbed Rin by his shirts collar and pulled him close in a threatening way. With eyes red and slitted like a predator he stared into the depths of Rin's soul. The teen had never been so afraid. 

"This is your last warning." He told him in a low toned voice. Rin would never forget it. The demons face, at that moment, would give him nightmares into the future weeks. The teen had definitely gotten his warning. 

In his next breathe, Rin found himself back at the same corner he had left. He was allowed to move. He could breathe. All he could do at that moment was sit on the cold cement and cry. He felt hopeless. He was lost. He only wished his father was still alive. Shiro would've been able to fix a mess like this. His dad was like a superhero. Rin felt like he was capable of anything. He felt like he was the only one who could get y/n back. If only he were alive. If only he could help. 

"What am I going to do now?!" Rin screamed banging a flaming fist on the ground. He didn't know where to start. 

        ——————————————

Y/n sat on her bed, hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes were stained with the tears of her grief. Mephisto was upset with her. It wasn't something she could simply forget. He had slapped her clean across the face. She could still remember the angry expression on his face. She felt a flurry of regret sweep over her. 

'Maybe it would've been better to not have dug into my past?' She thought, feeling the dread from her choices. 'I was happy here with him. Why try to mess that up?'

Then she remembered her interaction with Rin. He knew something she didn't and he had only given her that small hint. "He might hurt you again." She didn't understand. Mephisto would never hurt her. At that moment, the memory of his hatful strike came rushing back. Still feeling the sting, she reached up to touch it. It was hot to the touch. She didn't know what to believe now. She felt lost. She especially felt alone.

As more tears rolled down her cheeks, the handle to her bedroom door began to rattle. Someone was unlocking the door. She froze in horror. Was it Mephisto? What did he plan on doing next? Her heart beat fast against her rib cage. The adrenaline began to sink in. Yet she remained there on the bed, completely frozen with fear. 

The door opened with a small swing revealing that it wasn't the king at all. She was relieved to find it was Belial with a silver food trolly. She could finally let go of the breathe she held. She was glad to see the older gentleman. He was someone she could talk to. He was a friend. 

As he pushed the trolly she noticed the pale fearful expression on his face. His thoughts were in a completely different world as he appeared to stare off into space. He couldn't stop thinking about his interaction with his master. He didn't think he would get to walk away from such a 'talk'. He half expected death, yet, he had only given Belial a warning. His last warning. If he were to mess up again, he would indefinitely face the ultimate consequence. 

"I'm sorry." She told him, seeing the foggy glaze over his eyes. "You must've gotten in trouble because of me." 

Belial was snapped from his thoughts seeing the tearful y/n. She felt guilty of causing his sorrows. However, it wasn't her fault. He had chosen to help her. He wasn't forced into it. He wanted to help her and deep inside his soul he felt that he had too. 

"Ms. L/n, this isn't your fault." He said turning to her and revealing the black tattoo like marks on his left cheek. "I chose this. Not you." 

Belial pushed the trolly with her dinner towards her bed. He didn't say a word more. He remained quiet feeling her eyes on his face. She found herself without words. Y/n couldn't take her eyes off the black patterns on Belial's face. They trailed up his face like vines, intertwining between each crevice and nook. 

Belial felt ashamed to wear such marks on his face. It was similar to a dog collar equip with a shock function. If he were to say or do anything unseemly, the result would be painful. Along with his warning, he had also received this as punishment. Among demon culture this mark was a demeaning feature. Any demon caught with such marks on their person brought shame not only to themselves, but their ancestors as well.

The butler remained silent as he continued his job. Lifting up the platter lid on the trolly, Belial revealed her dinner. Y/n didn't get a choice that evening. It was a traditional Japanese hot pot. Steam rose up from the top of bowl. It had been freshly made and brought to a boil just minutes before. It looked appetizing but y/n didn't feel like eating. She had been crying for what felt like hours and a weight still hung over her as she looked at the butler. She knew he wasn't ok and she felt like it was her fault. 

"What happened to your face?" She asked. He flinched to the question. He couldn't find the right way to answer her. So he decided that he wouldn't. "That's not something I'd like to discuss." He told her giving her tissues for her tears. He'd rather not give her something else to feel guilt over. It was for the best that she didn't know. It would only make her more upset if she did. 

As he gave her a spoon for the soup he felt a sheering pain on his face. The marks began to glow a reddish tint. They had issued him an unpleasant zap. He knew already knew what it was for. Y/n looked at him with concern. He had buckled over from the pain. She didn't know what to do. She felt useless as she watched him recover on his own. There was no way she could help him.

"Are you alright?" She questioned staring at his pained expression. He looked up at her and gave her a soft smile like nothing had happened. It hurt just to watch him pretend. She couldn't help but wonder if this was because of her meeting with Rin. 'Is this my fault?' She wondered. 'Was this Mephisto's work?' 

"I've overstayed my welcome. Apologies." Belial told her. Smiling threw the pain he left the room and following his masters careful instructions, Belial locked the door behind him. As if all was well he  
went about his normal butler duties. He decided to ignore that remaining sting in his face. Back in the room y/n couldn't help but let slip more tears down her cheeks. She felt an overwhelming guilt build up inside her. 

'If only I hadn't wondered.' She thought to herself. 'All of this would never have happened.'


	15. Forgiveness

The moon rose high into the sky and shined bright across the cold foggy night. Y/n laid under the sheets of her bed within the dark bedroom. She tried to get some sleep but couldn't. The events of the day still haunted her. She couldn't find any way to sleep while laying on her side. She could only stare at the far wall, her thoughts wandering back in forth between Rin's words, Mephisto's anger, and Belial's punishment. She felt an immense amount of regret. If she hadn't tried to explore her past, all of this wouldn't be her reality. She could only wallow while contemplating her choices on that dark night. 

Unnoticed by her, he had let himself in using his powers. He watched her from the shadows, staring at her from behind. There was a blank expression on his face and a certain grey gloss over his eyes. Mephisto found himself unsure of how to approach y/n. He wanted nothing more than to hold her. He wanted to keep her safe. Yet, he let his anger take over earlier that day. He had slapped her and made her cry. Would she even talk to him again? Would she view him the same way? This was what made his gaze so grey. This was what he was afraid of. 

He didn't want her to hate him again. Anything but that. 

He knew that an apology was in order. Mephisto wanted her to forgive him. He knew "I'm sorry" were the words he was to put into a sentence for her forgiveness but the demon couldn't think of how. His new emotions made him second guess everything. He was desperate for her affection again. He needed her forgiveness. It was something he never asked for from anyone, humans and demons alike. He never cared until now. 

She changed everything.

As he came towards her, y/n noticed him. His careful footfall was the only sound in the room and it rang out like shattering glass. She sat up and looking towards the sound, she noticed his frozen person. She felt a flurry of emotions flood into her, the strongest one being regret. As far as she knew, he was still furious with her. She let slip tears from her eyes as the scenario replayed in her head. She didn't want him to hate her. She still loved him. That was something she was sure of. 

"I....I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry." She told him. He watched her with a stunned silence as she began to cry. He hadn't expected her to feel this way. He expected her to throw things in anger, and to declare that she never wanted to see him again. He thought he would have to beg her to even want his company. That wasn't the case. It was almost like a weight was lifted off him. He felt relief all in that instant.

Mephisto got into bed with her. He held her close and stroked her head. She had calmed down almost instantly. His embrace was something she felt safe and loved in. It told her that everything would be ok after all. He didn't hate her and she didn't hate him. At that moment, everything felt right. 

"I'm sorry. About all of this. Your past is very painful. I didn't want you to remember such a thing. My anger wasn't anger at all. Only my fear of this. You're happy now, aren't you?" He asked. She nodded, looking up at him lovingly. With a pink handkerchief he whipped the tears from her face. "I don't want that to change, y/n. Promise me that you won't try to search for your past again." 

"I.......I promise." She said, trusting him and his words. 

With a warm smile, he held her close. That was the answer he wanted to hear. It was like music to his ears. With closed eyes he was tempted to hum to the tune as he ushered her to rest. It wasn't just a promise not to explore her past. It was a promise that she would never talk to Rin Okumura again. It was a devotion to him and him alone. It was more than pleasing. 

As she closed her eyes, she felt a certain cozy warmth snuggled up to his chest. She could almost feel his passion beating inside him as she drifted off into her dreams. Everything would be ok after all. 

——————————————

Opening her eyes she found herself once again in the black void. Hushed whispers echoed from all around her, whispering words she couldn't make out. She looked around, searching for the mystery voices. She had no luck. She would have to step forward and look for herself if she were to discover them.

With one step, the void around her changed. It morphed into a new bright hallway, silencing the voices as well. All except for two. One of which was an all to familiar sound. It was Rin Okumura. He was talking to someone in a nearby room almost frantically, yet, in a whisper. Curiously, she stalked closer to the room. The closer she got, the more she heard. 

"Yukio, you don't understand. She said that he was gonna make her pay. I don't know what that means but I know it's not good." 

"So what? We have her stay here? It could only add danger to this situation. You don't have control over your flames. What if you flare up and hurt her?" 

"Seriously?! I'm not going to flare up! If anything, I'm the only one that can protect her! Mephisto's acting crazy. He told me he's a demon king y'know. If that's true then he could seriously hurt her. Please, Yukio. Just let her stay with us." 

As she crept up towards the room and peered inside, she saw two male silhouettes. One looked like Rin. The other she didn't recognize. They didn't notice her at first. They seemed to be distracted by their heated conversation. 

"Fine but if something goes wrong, it's on you. Don't expect to come crying to me when it does either. I have a bad feeling about this..." The silhouette warned. The Rin lookalike shuffled, visibly uneasy as he noticed y/n. His glowing eyes widened to the sight of her. 

"Y/n?" He questioned, moving to walk towards her. However, before she could a step forward, a force pulled her back into the void. She was surrounded in darkness once more but this time was different. This time she had what appeared to be black chains on her arms and legs. Around her neck, she felt a force that choked her. She found she couldn't breathe. Y/n could do nothing but gasp for air. From the darkness a familiar voice spoke. It was his voice. It echoed from all around her. 

"You will not leave me again." He demanded of her. "You will never leave me again."


	16. Choices

Gasping for air, y/n woke up from her nightmare. She glanced around and was relieved to find it was just a dream. Everything seemed back to normal in that dark bedroom. She was safe and sound in her bed with Mephisto cuddled up beside her. It was a rare sight to see him asleep. He looked peaceful as his chest rose and fell. She recalled that he often skipped resting at night. It wasn't a must for a demon like him. Although, on rare occasions, he would find himself deep within the dream scape. Usually it was only an hour at a time. 

As she watched him she couldn't help but smile at how innocent his face appeared. With a gentle hand she stroked his pale cheek. She could still feel the warmth of his passion residing on his skin. It made her warm as well. Mephisto didn't react to her cold hand, still within his deep sleep. His breathe didn't even hitch. For once he was relaxed as he laid beside her. 

Y/n watched him with a smile but it soon left as her dream faded back to her. She remembered his voice saying that she would never leave. She could remember the struggle for a simple breath. Instantly she recoiled her hand from his cheek and felt her neck. Rubbing it she thought about what such a violent dream could mean. 

Could it be a memory?

She'd rather not think about that. She had enough of that pain in her soul and that throbbing in her head. She only wanted to be happy now. She wanted to be happy with him. She promised him she would leave her past in the past. That was what she vowed to do. However, after a dream like that it was hard too. She only knew one thing for certain. There would be no luck sleeping that night. She decided to take a walk to clear her head. 

Getting up from the sheets, she wandered quietly out of the now unlocked room. With a careful footfall she wandered the hallways trying to think of anything but what troubled her most. Walking down a flight of stairs, she decided to go out into the garden. It was cold on that fall night, yet, the flowers still bloomed in vibrant colours among the soft glow of the moon light. 

Walking down the cobble stone path she looked up into the clear night sky. Small white lights from distant planets and galaxies twinkled back down into her e/c orbs. The stars shined bright that night. It was a calming sight for   
y/n. As she looked up at the sky, it was as though she forgot her troubles in that instant. She felt like she could stare up at them for hours. 

Suddenly, an abrupt rustle caught her attention. Snapping her gaze towards the sound, she noticed it was coming from the hedges on the borderline of the garden. The branches shook violently as if something were struggling within the green leaves. She froze staring at the hedges until the shaking stopped. Something big was hiding in them. That was undoubtably true. The real question was what.

"Hello?" She yelled out to the hedge, her curiosity getting the best of her. She listened for a response but was only greeted by a long silence. Perhaps it was a wounded animal? Maybe it had gotten stuck in the hedges? Was she it's only hope of survival? With this in mind, she approached the bushes with a light step until she finally reached the spot where the struggle was. 

Her hands shook as she reached out to pull away branches. What if she was wrong? What if she was in danger? She felt her heart beat fast against her rib cage. She felt as though it would explode out of her chest. She was very afraid to find out the truth. She decided it would be best to reveal the answer on a count. She would count to 3 and then pull the branches open. It was the only way she would muster the courage to do so. Taking a deep breath in, she began her count. "1...." She whispered to herself, her hands still shaking. "2........." She reassured, grabbing onto the branches. "3!" She shouted pulling open the twigs. 

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!" A voice screamed from inside the bush. She, to, let out a startled scream. Staring at her now was a familiar raven haired boy. It was Rin Okumura. He had twigs tangled in his hair and scratches on his skin from the rough branches. He wore a heavier fall jacket on his body and a pair of blank jeans. In his hand was what appeared to be some kind of sword. Seeing him tangled in the hedges, she couldn't help but wonder what he was doing there. 

"Rin?" She questioned, staring at the teens petrified expression. "What are you doing in these hedges?" 

Rin looked up at his attacker, now seeing y/n standing before him. He was instantly relieved. He thought that one of Mephisto's servants had discovered him stuck in the branches of a hedge. If that were the case, the fear was all to real as to what he'd face next. Despite all the warnings and threats from an angry demon, he knew he had to come and save her. Rin couldn't just leave her. Trying to sneak his way into the mansion, he planned on rescuing y/n. He still loved her after all. 

He didn't want a demon to take away someone he loved yet again. He wouldn't let that happen. 

"Y/n? You're ok! Quick! Get in the bushes! I'll get you out of here!" He told her, moving more of the brush out of the way. Y/n couldn't help but stand there confused under the night sky. She still had no clue as to what he was talking about. Why did he insist on getting her out of her lovers mansion? Why did he think she was in danger?

"What..? What do you mean? I'm not in any danger. I-" She told him before freezing at the start of her next sentence. The way he had slapped her and locked her in her room came rushing back to her. She could practically still feel the burning sting on her cheek. 

"Listen, y/n. Mephisto isn't your friend. He must've brain washed you too. You were my classmate y/n. You were my friend. He took all of that away from you. That's messed up! Please! You have to trust me, y/n!" Rin begged. Y/n stared into his eyes and at that moment she only saw the eyes of a haunted soul staring back at her. Rin was visibly concerned for her. There was no doubt about that. Perhaps there was some truth to what he was saying. Maybe she should trust him. Then, she remembered her promise to her lover. 

She had to leave her past behind. She couldn't find any will in herself to go with Rin. She had to stay. Even after everything he told her, it was still true that she believed to only have just met him formally a few hours before. She couldn't leave with a stranger and she couldn't break her promise. She couldn't go. 

"I'm sorry. I can't go with you." She told him. With tears jerking at his eyes he met her gaze. He couldn't figure out why she wouldn't go. Even after all that had happened just hours before, she still wouldn't leave. It broke his heart to see her this way. She really had no idea of the truth and Mephisto planned on keeping it that way. Rin was torn two ways. He only had two options. Force her to come with him or let her stay with Mephisto. He didn't know what to do. 'What's the right choice?' He thought. 'What do I do now?'

"Miss. l/n?" A voice called. Y/n quickly moved the bushes back so they hid Rin completely, and turned to her caller. Belial stood at the other end of the garden with a lantern and what looked like gardening tools. He was confused and a bit concerned to find y/n out of her room and in the garden. She looked startled having him find her. He wondered why. Was she trying to run away? Was she only taking a midnight stroll? What was she doing with the hedges? 

"Miss. L/n? What are you doing out here so late?" He asked, walking towards her. The questions in his head lingered with each step he took. He couldn't help but wonder staring at her guilty expression. Suddenly, the hedges began to rustle making Belial stop in his tracks. 

Something was in the bushes and he wasn't entirely sure what. Was it an animal? Was it a lower level demon? Or worse. Was it an intruder? Y/n felt frozen as he went up to the hedge. She felt cornered as he inspected the brush. What would the butler do if he found the teen hidden in the branches? Would he feel inclined to rat out Rin to Mephisto? Would he tell Mephisto about her suspicious actions? Not wasting any time, Belial moved the branches away only to find nothing where Rin stood inside the hedge. It was like the teen disappeared. She was relieved. Turning to y/n now, Belial asked her again for an explanation. 'What should I say?' She thought. Then an excuse popped into her mind. 

"I was taking a walk to clear my head and I found an animal in the bushes. They seemed to be hurt and tangled in the branches so I was trying to help them, but it guess you scared them away." She told him. Belial seemed satisfied with the excuse. Not digging into it any further, he gave her a warm assuring smile. He tried not to show the actual suspicion on his face. He knew she was partially lying. About what? He didn't know. 

"You should return to your bed to rest, Miss. l/n. It's quite late and you might catch a cold. My master wouldn't be pleased with that." He told her. Y/n nodded and with a goodbye, she made her way back to her room. Before going inside, however, she looked back at the hedges. At that moment she second guessed everything. Would it have been better to go with Rin? 

What was the right decision?


	17. Worries and Fears

The white light of the moon casted through windows as she wandered the hallways slowly making her way back to her room.. Her eyes stared down at her feet deep in thought over Rin Okumura's plea. His words echoed over and over in her head. "Please!" It begged. "You have to trust me, y/n." 

The echoing was so loud she had to stop in her steps. Closing her eyes she tried to push it down, resisting the temptation to go look for the teen. Y/n made a promise with every fibre of her being. She loved Mephisto so she planned on keeping her promise. She never wanted to upset him again. She never wanted to see that angry glare staring down at her. She wanted him to hold her with that warmth. She wanted things back to the way they were before she was given that photo from Belial. 

She froze to the realization. The photo had never been picked up off the floor down in the living room. It still laid there untouched by the couch where Rin Okumura sat. She couldn't imagine the grief that would overcome her lover if he discovered the photo. He was highly intelligent. He'd be able to piece together that she had seen it. It would make him angry. She had to do something. She had to get it back before Mephisto discovered it. It was crucial. She couldn't bear to see that angry glare on his face again. Anything but that. 

"Y/n!" A voice exclaimed as a figure bolted around the corner. Looking up she met her gaze with Mephisto's. He looked visibly concerned as he teleported to her and pulled her into a protective embrace. When he had woken up to find her missing, he felt as though he couldn't breathe. He had never felt such an emotion before. It seemed like what humans described as fear. He had panicked. 

He hoped y/n had some kind of reasonable explanation for wandering away on her own. Was she trying to find a bathroom? Was she only taking a walk to clear her head? There was also the worst option. Was she trying to leave him? He felt that inability to breathe yet again. He couldn't erase what he had done this time. It would only erase y/n all together leaving her lifeless like an empty corpse with a pulse. He was at a loss for what to do if the worst option was correct. 

"Where did you go, darling? You worried me." He asked her. She looked up at him feeling a tinge of guilt. Perhaps it was selfish of her to leave without telling him. He looked paler than usual. He looked almost sickly. Not just on his face, but in his green orbs as well. He was obviously worried about her. She didn't mean to upset him. This only made herself upset.

"I'm sorry. I was just going for a walk. I was having trouble sleeping. I didn't wanna wake you." She told him. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as he stroked her cheek then cupped it in his hand. She closed her eyes to the touch, feeling that ecstasy of warmth on his fingertips. He kissed her forehead and afterwards stared into her eyes. His gaze became serious.

"Please tell me next time you do something like that. Don't be afraid to wake me. Sleep isn't so necessary for me." He told her, the seriousness emitting from his tone. She smiled up at him and nodded, kissing the hand that still cupped her cheek. He flashed a warm smile down at her as he picked her up, carrying her back to her bed. Sleep may not of been important for him but he knew how important and essential it was to a human. He knew she needed rest and he knew he had to help her but before he could manage such a thing, he had to find out what kept her awake to begin with. It would most likely help her sleep. Plus he was genuinely curious. 

"Darling." He began. She looked up expectantly into his green orbs. "Why were you having trouble sleeping?" 

She couldn't stop herself from frowning at the thought of her nightmare. She could practically still feel the tight grip on her neck and hear his angry voice. 'Would he really do something like that?' She thought. Would he do something like that to her? She didn't wanna believe that. Especially when he flashed that warmth down at her so full of love and affection. Perhaps it was only just a dream. Perhaps she was being ridiculous. 

"It was just a silly nightmare. It's nothing to worry about." She explained giving him a smile. It was hardly believable to him. He knew it was something that scared her a great deal. He could see through her sad lie. Her mask was obvious to him. He had years of experience after all. 

"A silly dream that scared you out of bed." He told her with a matter of fact tone.

'Why else would she trudge into the cold night on a walk to clear her head?' He thought to himself. He couldn't help but wonder what had scared her so much. Once he got into her room, he sat her down on the bed. Sitting down beside her, he pulled her body to his and gently stroked her head. He felt bad for not being awake to calm her down at the moment she awoke in a panic. He could feel how tense she still was. He wanted nothing more than to be there for her. She was his world now. She was his everything. 

"Do you want to talk about this dream?" He asked her. Y/n's eyes wandered down to her feet. She stared at the pink cotton socks she wore thinking about what to tell him. Would the dream upset him? She'd rather not see that side of him again. She never wanted to see Mephisto like that. 

Although, it could always establish trust between her and her lover. It could strengthen their bond and, perhaps, it would make her feel better talking to him instead of bottling up the excess emotions inside. Finally she decided. It'd be best not to tell him. She didn't want him to worry or to be upset. She wouldn't risk the slight chance of strengthening their bond. It was simply to risky. 

"I'd rather not talk about it. I'm sorry." She told him. He looked almost disappointed and concerned as he stared down at her. He wanted to know what such a dream would entail. The fact she didn't want to share it with him raised flags in his mind. He knew the true reason. He wasn't stupid. Most likely the dream would upset him. 

It would be easy to dig into the sanctum inside her skull and pull up the memory. It would be simple to view it with force but not only would it be painful for her, but most likely it would upset her. Besides, he didn't see the point in causing so much discord over something so small. He decided it'd be best to respect her wish. It was little thing he could give her. He still felt guilty over what he had done prior to this after all. 

"Alright." He finally said. With a snap of his fingers, she was in a pair of her new pjs. They were a light pink that matched her socks and decorated with white polka dots along with white lacings along the trims. In an instant her hair had also changed now being brushed neatly and pushed out of her s/c face. 

Deciding to lighten the tense mood, Mephisto playfully tickled her making her laugh. She giggled to his touch as he laid her down on the pillows. They stared into each other's eyes in a loving manor. Mephisto felt so in love with her as he saw the affection in her gaze. Her feelings were raw. Her love was genuine. "My darling~" He purred, nuzzling into her neck. She laughed holding onto his warm skin and pulled his body closer. Breathing into his ear, she purred for him. It nearly drove the demon mad. He could begin to feel the lust bubble up inside of him but he had to resist. She needed to rest. 

He would have to save her for later. 

"Darling, you should get some sleep." He told her, brushing his hand against her cheek. She nodded in agreement. He was right. It was much to early in the morning to be awake. If she stayed up any later, she'd nearly become zombified before the sun would come back up for the next day. With Mephisto running his fingers along her frame, she found herself more and more relaxed as well as ready for bed. She found herself so relaxed even that she began to drift off on his rising and falling chest. 

She had completely forgotten about the picture she had to retrieve as she drifted off into darkness. Her last thought was about how relaxing it felt to sleep on the warmth of his chest. 

'What would I do without him?' She thought.


	18. The Right Decision

7 beings gathered quiet and collectively within the grounds of a strange empty realm. Whispering amongst themselves, they sent small echoing conversations into the void. They were patiently waiting for an urgent meeting between them to begin. Their second eldest sibling, however, had yet to arrive. He was late, per usual.

The group held such meetings once every thousand years within the realm. Only they could connect to the world as concepts which offered a much needed private discussion between all the members of the group. Usually meeting in such a private way entailed that there was an urgent matter to discuss and all members of the Baal were required. The meetings were always announced by the most powerful being within the group which was Lucifer, the King of Light. He was their leader and guiding light for centuries, guiding each of his brothers at their time of creation. In a way, the age old light demon acted like a father to his siblings, passing his 'righteous judgement' onto their actions. He sought it as his duty. He took these things very seriously. 

With a shinning purple glow, the final participant to the meeting arrived. Samael, the King of Time and Space. He bowed to his eldest brother, flashing a half hearted grin to the light demon, and apologized for his lateness. Something had come up. Lucifer couldn't help but hold back a sigh of frustration. His brothers tendency to be cruel and shamelessness was something he couldn't stand. Lucifer could even go as far as to say that he liked Samael the least out of his brothers. 

"So," Samael began, now standing up from his bow. "What have we gathered to discuss, older brother? Been quite a while since you've called a meeting like this." 

Lucifer shifted passing a glance to his other siblings. Little did Samael know but the meeting was called because of him. The Earth King, Amaimon, took it upon himself, seemingly out of spite, to 'tattle' on his older brother. He told Lucifer all about his brothers new mate and how she was human. 

The fact she was human was most definitely a problem. The Baal members always looked down on courtships with such a lower being. Lucifer, in particular, thought that humans were specifically unworthy of such a thing. Even so, passing judgement on a courtship wasn't what they had all gathered for. 

That was to do with Samael's assault against Amaimon because of this human. It wouldn't stand unnoticed by the elder sibling. He was rather particular about these things.

"We are here because of you, Samael. Amaimon has told me about your.....human." Lucifer started. Samael frowned now flashing a glare towards his younger brother. The earth demon flinched slightly but stood his ground standing confidently beside the elder light demon. Amaimon felt as though he had won a game with his older brother. He felt as though he had cornered him. Samael was outsmarted to his dismay.

"Well, I don't know what your talking about." Samael lied. Iblis, the King of Fire, scuffed from the sidelines. He to found Samael's behaviour absolutely disgusting. However unlike his eldest brother he showed it in more ways than one. 

"Lies!" He shouted glowing a brighter red aura. "He lies to us. Look at him! He thinks we're stupid. Your nothing but a coward trying to hide this from us!" 

Samael furrowed to the sound of his siblings voice. The Fire King glared at the older demon from where he stood. His burning hatred towards his older brother was obvious and the younger made it a known to all of his brothers. Whether it was from jealousy or simple irritation towards Samael's personality, it always seemed to remain the same. Iblis's blood was always brought to a boil the minute the time demon was involved. 

Samael thought it was an extremely tedious endeavour. It annoyed him to no end. It didn't seem that the time king could do anything to cool the hot heads rage. Samael could only attempt to push down his irritation as Iblis spoke his mind. 

"Iblis. It's a pleasure to see you again." Samael spoke with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. His forced smile said it all to his brothers. They had a feeling Samael would boil over soon if not careful. They knew he harboured a certain hatred for Iblis as well. 

"Spare me." Iblis hissed. His aura pulsed a brighter red with every word. "We know of your human mate and of what you did to Amaimon. Do not lie to us. You dare disrespect us like this?" 

Samael felt his teeth grind hard against one another. The arrogant hot headed demon talked like he were everything and Samael was nothing. He took it upon himself to make that a known fact in the group. It was something the time demon couldn't stand. It seemed at every turn, Iblis found something to scold him for. There was always something he did wrong. Something he disrespected him with. He'd love to get rid of the younger king just so he'd never have to hear his arrogant words again. Yet, his eldest brother Lucifer would most likely throw a fit. That would always end most unpleasantly and usually in the destruction of a planet. 

So instead Samael gritted a smile and tried to ignore the demons spiteful words. It was better that way. 

"Samael," Lucifer began, the seriousness dripping from his tone. "Is what we heard true? Have you attempted to kill our brother?" 

Samael felt cornered. It seemed no one would believe him if he attempted a lie. Every one of his brothers seemed to stare at him with a frown and their arms were all crossed in disappointment. They seemed to already deduce that he was more than guilty. The time demon couldn't help but shift in his stance. 

He seemed like he was trapped.

"I believe attempted murder is a bit of an exaggeration. I never had plans to murder him-" 

"Lies!" Iblis shouted, cutting off the time demons explanation. Samael couldn't stop his eye from practically twitching to his brothers words. "Amaimon has told us that you've threatened him. If he were to as much as look at your human, you've threatened to murder him. Try to lie all you want. You can't lie to us!" 

As Samael turned to look at the fire demon, he couldn't help but feel a boiling anger within him begin to grow. The fire demon dared to bare his fangs at him. In demon culture it had the equivalent of giving a human the middle finger. It was a great insult and a challenging to a battle for superiority. Only a demon who thought he could win such a battle would dare to challenge another in such a way. Iblis thought he was stronger than the time demon and he made that very clear. Samael couldn't suppress it any longer.

"How dare you bare your fangs at me. Are you the one with a death wish?" Samael hissed. Iblis walked to the time demon and took no extra time in getting in his face. It seemed he was looking for a battle after all. Samael couldn't help but stare down at the shorter demon with the darkest and most sinister smirk he could muster. He had enough of his brother. At that moment he didn't care what Lucifer would do. He would hunt and kill the fire king just because he could. Then they would be even. 

"Perhaps I am looking for a battle, Samael." Iblis hissed back, his fangs still bear. 

Lucifer felt his own anger and frustration boil to the sight of his brothers fight. They had gathered to end one. Not to start one. He made his dismay known with a booming "stop" and a bright flash of lightning. All the kings groaned in pain from the elders attack. It had easily shifted all attention back to him so he could speak his mind.

"That's enough! We are not here to fight-" He began but could only buckle over in pain. He began to wheeze and cough from the sudden expel of his powers. He could feel his vessel quiver and break from underneath him. He had to make this meeting fast. He had to return to his vessel so he could keep it alive the best he could. 

"Samael," Lucifer began through wheezes. "Because it is absolute to us........that you have acted in violence .........against  one of our youngest, I will be taking.........him into my Illuminati. Separating the both of you ..........will be best." 

Samael frowned to this. Amaimon had been a great asset to him in the past. Now having him turn sides and take allegiance with Lucifer would only make things harder from him. Within the chess game waged against his brother Lucifer, it seemed that the elder was taking all of his pawns. Lucifer would win and get humanities destruction as his prize. In doing so he would take the human world for the demons. Humanity would go extinct. Lucifer would finally get what he wanted. The time demon felt alone. For once Samael regretted his choices but at the same time he would've done the same over and over again. 

He loved her to much to let anything hurt her. 

"Very well. If that's how it must be." Samael said with a forced grin. He didn't dare show how he truly felt at that moment. Especially not to Iblis. He'd love to see him suffer. 

"If that's all you called me for then I'll be leaving now." Samael announced but before he left, he took one last look at his green haired brother. He felt a tinge of disgust build inside him. Amaimon stood seemingly unfazed by the events of the meeting. It made him feel a certain bitterness towards his traitorous brother. Yet again, he had succeeded in annoying him beyond belief. 

"I truly hope you made the correct decision, Amaimon." The time demon warned before turning away to leave. However, before he left, there was one familiar face who wished to speak to him. Due to his now crystallized vessel this place was the only way he could communicate with his brother. He felt the need to speak about this subject to his brother. It was an all to familiar situation for him. 

What seemed like eons before now, he to once fell in love with a human woman. She was his everything yet the members of the Baal had judged him quite harshly for it. They couldn't understand what love was or what it meant to love a being so much. A courtship such as that was viewed as pointless. Mating with another was only seen useful for the creation of kin. Their feelings towards humans were usually minimal. It was part of the reason why he to was an outcast amongst his brothers. It was also why he wished so much to protect humanity from the destruction of demons. 

His name was Azazel, the King of Spirits. 

"Samael, please wait." He spoke leaving the group behind and chasing after his brother. Samael stopped and turned to the sound of his brothers voice. It had been a long time since he heard that voice. It was a comforting sound. Azazel was one of the few members of the Baal who's company he actually enjoyed. He felt like Azazel could understand what it was like to love. He knew what it was like to feel. 

It was like a breathe of fresh air. 

"Azazel. It's been quite a long time since I've heard you speak. It's nice to hear your voice again." He told him. This time his words were sincere. Azazel flashed a strained soft grin back towards his older brother. Samael could tell something rather serious was on his mind. 

"Samael, I must tell you something about your human." Azazel began. The King of Spirits felt like it was his duty to tell his older brother what he had learned from his human relationship. He wanted to warn him of all the hardships that surely awaited the king. He had to warn him of the treacherous road ahead. It was the most he could do being crystallized after all. 

"My brother, I to fell in love with a human. I loved them and cared for them. I defied everything to be with them. But, I must tell you what this entails. It will cost you everything to be with them. Then when the time comes when they finally grow old and turn to earth in your hands, you must be prepared for the hurt you will feel and the consequences that will follow afterwards." Azazel warned, the sorrow of his past causing a certain sting in his heart. 

Samael frowned. The younger demon had a point. He hadn't truly thought much of the consequences quite in this manor. There was so much to risk for y/n. Yet, he couldn't find it in himself to leave her. Love was a powerful thing. This was something perhaps only Azazel could understand among the Baal besides himself. Samael gave his brother a warm smile. 

"Thank you, brother." He told him. Azazel returned a smile as well. As Samael turned to leave, Azazel said one last thing. It would be something the time king would think about for days afterwards. It was something he would never forget. 

"Make the right decision, brother."

It looked like he would have to.


	19. A Gate to Understanding

Y/n's eyes fluttered open to the soft rays of the morning sunlight. Stretching her body, she let out a soft yawn. She had gotten what seemed like a great nights sleep. She was energetic and ready to start the day. She felt well rested and refreshed. Her good mood made her seem unstoppable as she adjusted her position under the bedsheets. It caused her to completely forget about the turmoil brought upon by the days before. 

It was almost to quick of a recovery. Yet, that wasn't something she thought about. 

Still laying beside her in her bed was Mephisto. He had been waiting patiently for his lover to wake. When she finally came back to her conscious state, stretching out and giving a small yawn, he was more than pleased. Being away from her was something he couldn't stand. It was this certain possessiveness that was so foreign to him, yet, refreshing all the same.

He nuzzled into the crook of her neck making her face light up with happiness. He, to, smiled to the touch. He felt a certain safety in that smile. The way she would light up to his presence always took off any edge he felt. It made him forget his troubles if only for a moment. It made him forget his pain. 

"Y/n darling. You're finally awake. I felt like I've been waiting for an eternity." He told her, lovingly running his fingers through her hair. She giggled staring at his sheepish expression. It reminded her of a pouting toddler. She felt it had a certain cute appeal. Smiling, she played along by pulling his body closer to her own. 

"Were you? I'm sorry. Didn't mean to make you wait." She told him. Still nuzzling into her neck, he took in a portion of her scent. It was like a drug to him. One sniff sent him on a high of ecstasy. It could almost be described as a necessity to him. Suddenly, at that moment, his brothers words repeated in his mind. It told him to make the right decision. 

Mephisto could only guess what his brother meant by that. Did his brother regret having his human lover? Was the right decision to leave the mortal and ditch an eternity of mourning? He couldn't find any bone in his body that would convince himself to leave her. More than anything he wanted to stay with her forever. He wanted an eternity with her instead.

He froze in his thoughts at the moment of realization. He could have it. He was the king of time. Unlike his younger brother he could simply manipulate y/n's life span. With his power he could make her live forever as the way she was now. He could spend his eternity with her. However, with such a power always came consequences. She wouldn't age any further so she would outlive any friends and family. Also, there was the worst consequence of them all. If something were to happen and he would have to abandon his vessel, his magic would undo in that instant. She would age all at once and perish. 

These were all risks he was willing to take. However, he still had yet to know y/n's point of view. He wanted to give her a choice this time. She was his lover. She had a right to make such a drastic final decision as well. 

"Is something the matter?" Y/n asked snapping him from his thoughts. He had went completely silent and what looked like a scowl plastered itself on his face. He smiled down at her, kissing her hand lovingly. He didn't mean to worry her.

"I'm sorry, darling. Everything is fine." He assured her in a soft spoken voice. She smiled with warmth back at him. That smile made everything worth so much more. It only made him want to ask her that dire question even more. How could he go on without that loving gaze? But, he couldn't ask her quite yet. He needed the perfect time and place. He wanted to ensure a yes and building the opportunity and timing was key.   

With a seriousness on his face, he stroked her hand. She could tell he had something to say so she listened intently to every word. 

"Y/n, I want to ask you something. Something important. Not at this moment but tonight, after all the events of the day are done." He told her. She answered him with a soft "ok" but Y/n couldn't help but feel a certain curiosity towards it all. What could he possibly want to tell her? What was so important? It seemed she would need to wait to find out.

Not to long after one more kiss, he left promising he'd be back later that evening. He had a few errands and an important meeting to attend first and he couldn't run late for any of them. The king of time had a bad habit of running behind. 

           ————————————

"I apologize Mr. Auguste, but my master isn't here right now." 

Belial shifted awkwardly to the tall blonde mans reaction. He looked on at the butler with an agitated stare. This was not the answer he wanted or expected. It was imperative that he speak with the demon  king and he had to speak with him today. 

"What do you mean he's not here? Where is he??" The blonde demanded. 

The butler couldn't help but flinch a little to the mans tone. Belial knew who this man was. There were many of warnings existing about him among his kind. He was, in current time, the strongest exorcist to walk the earth. He's known as the trampler of kings and the ender of their kin. His name is Arthur Auguste Angel. 

"He... is in an important meeting. He won't return until later this evening." Belial managed to explain. 

Arthur yelled out in anger. It was midday and this butler was insisting that he had to wait. Preposterous! But, it seemed he had no choice. These were desperate times and they called for desperate measures. A gehenna gate had just opened after all and the time demon was the only 'expert' in their ranks. 

"Fine!" Arthur huffed. "I'll wait a few hours. The matter is urgent."

Belial was caught off guard. He had half expected the man to angrily stomp off as he would normally finding out such news. Instead he insisted on waiting? Belial only imagined how urgent the matter could be. However, what was more important now was being a good host to this new guest. It was his job as head butler after all. Part of his job was to escort guests to the 'guest room' within the mansion if they wished to wait. This wasn't the first time it had to be done.

"Would you like a place to be seated while you wait?" Belial asked. It was just another prompted question he was required to ask.

With a stern nod from the man, Belial led Arthur upstairs towards the guest room. A deafening silence was shared between them as Belial led the exorcist through the halls. In that silence, Angel curiously looked at the decorative walls. On them were paintings of all sorts, all seemingly signed originals. Occasionally, Angel noted the abundance of displayed artifacts as well. It was as though he were walking through a museum. He noted that the demon had quite the collection. He debated on whether that was a good thing or not. 

However, what the strangest sight of all for Angel was what appeared to be in a beautiful garden. As he looked out one of the many windows, he noticed a young girl smelling one of the flowers. It caused him to stop in his tracks. A young girl? On Mephisto's estate? He wondered if she had perhaps snuck in through the shrubs lining the mansions borderline. Perhaps she was lost? Then appeared a worse thought. She was here because she was like Rin Okumura. Perhaps she too was "special". This caused a shot of anxiety to shoot through his body. It called for an investigation. The demon couldn't be trusted after all. 

"You've stopped. If everything all right?" Belial asked. Angel couldn't take his eyes off the girl. She looked human enough but so did the son of satan. This wasn't something to confide in.

"Who is she?" He asked the butler. Belial shifted out of discomfort. Of course his master had supplied him with a story in case something like this were to occur. However, Belial found it a bit uncomfortable lying to such a powerful exorcist. could end badly for the demon. Yet, he knew his duty to his master was something he had to follow through with. 

"That is Miss. l/n. She is here by request of a very wealthy family. The master is letting her stay until a dorm opens up for her. The pay was hansom for my masters generosity." Belial explained, following the stories script. 

Arthur continued to stare at the girl, wearing a scowl. He didn't seem convinced. Something seemed familiar about her yet he couldn't pin point why. It was the strangest feeling to the blonde. 

"No." He blurted. "That doesn't seem right...... Consider this an order from the Vatican. Take me down there to speak with her." 

Belial became flustered. His master hadn't told him what to do in a situation like this. What was he to say? What was he to do? Was he to play along and stick to the script? Y/n was sure to tell the exorcist a different story. Then what? In pure panic Belial spat out a response. 

"That wouldn't be a good idea!" 

Angel narrowed his eyes. The demon butler dared defy him? Why couldn't he talk with this girl? Was she actually supposed to be a secret afterall? Why? The situation only got more and more suspicious. Angel knew now of his new priority. He was to investigate this matter. 

Unsheathing his magic sword Caliburn,  he pointed it menacingly at the butlers throat. Angel didn't have time for the butlers non sense. He took his job very seriously and anyone who didn't obey his wishes, Angel felt had every right to be cut down. The butler would just be another casualty. Angel didn't keep track. 

"You will take me down there. Now!" Angel demanded. Belial lifted up his shaky hands in surrender. 

"Alright, I-I will take you to her. N-no need for blood." He squeaked. 

With no hesitation and with haste the butler led Angel to y/n. She was sitting peacefully in the gardens cobble path when Angel stepped out. His white long tailor made coat writhed in the wind. His long blonde hair did the same. Belial, almost frantically, followed behind the exorcist. 

In all honestly he was worried about y/n. If she said the wrong thing, she would most likely get arrested and brought to the Vatican for questioning. There she would most likely reveal her relationship with the king. It wouldn't go over well. The Vatican would only see her creating dangerous spawns from such a relationship. It would make her a danger to society and in saying so, she would be executed. 

"Miss l/n!" Angel called out. Y/n stood to the stern voice. She had never met the man before but he knew of her somehow? Was she in trouble? She wasn't quite sure. He bared a large sharp blade in his hand and he looked ready to kill someone with such a stern glare. She didn't like the looks of him. He seemed unpredictable and dangerous. 

"I'm Arthur Auguste Angel and you are now a person of interest to the Vatican. I would like to speak with you if I could?" He asked. 

Belial watched as y/n agreed with a tad of fear in her eyes. He didn't blame her. Arthur was a ruthless and terrifying man. His demeanour, his strength, and his stern expressions said it all. Naturally, these things would scare off anyone.

"Miss l/n, can you tell me what exactly your doing on this estate?" Arthur asked. 

Belial gulped. Arthur jumped right to the question that could be a swim or sink situation for y/n. Belial could practically see his master killing him where he stood. She would surely be arrested and in finding out his love had been arrested, there would be hell to pay. The king would be in a frenzy and Belial would be in the front lines of the fire. 

"What I'm doing here?" She asked him. He nodded. Y/n saw Belial shaking in his boots. She couldn't help but wonder why. Did the butler sense something bad in the man too? Perhaps the man had ill intentions. Either way she grew more and more suspicious of the blonde.

"I live here. This place is my home. May I ask what your doing here?" Y/n asked. Angel scowled to the girls defensive tone. He hadn't expected her to act in such a way. The tension between the two only made Belial more and more nervous. 

"My being here is of no concern to you!" Arthur barked. Y/n couldn't help but jeer to the mans rudeness.

"The butler says you're here only because your waiting for a dorm. Is this true?" He demanded. 

"A dorm?" She asked more to herself than the man. 

Y/n stared blankly at Arthur. She was waiting for a dorm? Mephisto never told her anything about this. Was she supposed to be attending a school in the future? She couldn't remember. She only knew that she was here to stay with her lover. She didn't plan on doing anything else. 

It never occurred to her that Belial had lied. 

"I........I'm staying with my lover! I don't intend on going to any school." She answered. Belial visibly gulped to Arthur's new expression. It wore something between disbelief and frustration. Perhaps it was both? The blondes shoulders tensed as if he were disturbed to find out exactly what y/n meant by that. Belial knew he wouldn't like the answer. 

"What do you mean lover?!" He barked, closing the space between him and y/n. She felt more and more unsafe as the gap between them closed. In a subconscious precaution of defence, her fists balled readying herself for a fight. Instead of a fight,  however, she found her hands grabbed and handcuffed. She couldn't comprehend what exactly was happening. It was all to fast.

"I've heard enough! You're under arrest for further questioning." He told her sternly. Her heart began to beat faster than it ever had before. What gave this random man the right to arrest her??He wasn't with the police! He wasn't a government official! She knew this was wrong and she wasn't about to let this man take her away for doing nothing wrong. 

"What gives you the right?!" She yelled while using both her arms and fists to hit Arthur straight across the face. Belial gasped as the exorcist knocked y/n out with a single punch. The butler was stunned as he watched Angel pick up her lifeless body. Belial was terrified at that moment, but, he couldn't let the Paladin take her. Deep down he liked y/n as well. She showed him kindness he had never known as a demon. It meant a lot to him. He wanted to protect her for his master and for himself.  

"I won't let you take her!" Belial shouted, cutting off the exit with his body. Angel looked unimpressed as he drew his magic blade. The butler wasn't about to stop the him from leaving. 

Belial knew he was most likely going to die but it didn't matter. He wanted to try yet he couldn't quite understand completely as to why. Was this what the bonds of human friendship felt like? 

As the light went dark for the demon butler he thought about this feeling. Demons longed to feel these at least once in their immortal lives. He never understood as to why. As his vision went dark, he now understood.


	20. The Accused

A throbbing pain in her head woke y/n from her deep slumber. Dizzy and confused, she lifted her sore head and tried to focus on her surroundings. Y/n was tied to a chair in what seemed to be a chrome plated room. The room itself was empty aside from her and her chair. On the walls were what looked like glyphs and pentagrams engraved into the metal. Any reasoning behind them if any she didn't know. Yet, there were an extensive number of engravings, each pattern seeming more complex than the next. The most complicated ones, however, appeared to be on the large safe like door. 

She felt herself begin to panic. Where was she? Why was she tied up?  It all came rushing back in that instant. She knew it had to of been Arthur Auguste Angel. His blonde features enraged her as she recalled her encounter with him. The last thing she could recall was that fearsome punch before it all went black. Now she was here. 'He has no right to abduct me' she thought. Now she could only fear what would happen next in this empty chrome room. A few tears streamed down her face as she felt an overwhelming hopelessness overcome her. 

She wanted nothing more than to be in Mephisto's arms. She wanted to go home more than anything. She knew he would surely come looking for her. It was a matter of when. She could only hope for it to be soon. 

She missed him so much. 

Suddenly, a loud banging echoed through the room. Her heart began to throb against her rib cage as she drew her focus to the sounds origin. It came from the large metal door. Something was happening to it and she was becoming more and more afraid to find out what. The door began to rumble louder and louder until finally it creaked open. She nearly screamed. 

Y/n couldn't help but cry as a group of men entered the interrogation room. They all wore strange black uniforms except one. The odd scraggly looking man wore what looked like a sun hat, a baggy shirt and a pair of saggy ripped jean shorts. He wore a bizarre sick smile as he walked up to the fear stricken y/n. It was almost like he enjoyed her fear. It was a sickening thought to her. 

"You must be Miss. l/n. I've heard a lot about you. Nice to meetcha. I'm Lewin Light." He began crouching down to meet her eye level. Y/n could smell his body oder. The man was filthy and smelled like he had not bathed in weeks. Now all she could think about was not vomiting all over the man and his stern looking friends. 'Perhaps this was a method of torture' she thought. 

"W-what do...... you want....from me?" She mustered through gasps. Lewin's grin appeared to grow. 

"Well for starters you struck a friend of mine in the face pretty hard. He's kinda important around here." Lewin began. "Butttttt, that's not really why you're here. Apparently you're staying with a friend of ours. Mephisto Pheles right? I want you to tell me why."

Y/n froze. Arthur had asked her this to but why? 'Why do they want to know so badly?' She thought. Were they enemies of Mephisto? What would happen if she answered honestly? Would they kill her? Keeping silent might be the key in this scenario but she kept fighting with other ideas. In felt like a battle field in her brain. The fight on what to do next raged an ugly war until finally a bomb blew and only one idea shot itself out from her lips.

"Why do you want to know about this? Who are you people??" Y/n blurted in the heat of her panic. She cringed to her own words. She hadn't thought that answer through and it surely wouldn't end well. Lewin only snickered in response. 'What was so funny?' She thought. He appeared to be more twisted than Arthur. That she feared most. 

In the blink of an eye, he grabbed the collar of her shirt snapping her focus back to him. His cheerful expression turned to something dark and sinister. It appeared his mood shifted by the minute. Maybe the first one had been an act? Either way, it was purely psychotic and she couldn't stop tears from streaming down her face. The fear she felt at that moment was to much. It swallowed her whole insisting that her death was around the bend. 

Y/n began to believe it and accept it as a depressing truth. 

"Listen, you are going to tell me what I want to know or you will ge-" Lewin began but was suddenly cut off. What appeared to be pentagrams manifested out of thin air and flung him into the door behind him. Landing face first, he coughed up blood. This power was strong. It was a power he recognized. The escorts in the room quickly rushed to their co workers aid, all asking if he was ok. However, what appeared to be a black sigil drew itself on his cheek making them gasp. They knew he wasn't. 

He had been marked. 

Shakily Lewin rose, swearing under his breath. He hadn't expected the girl to have a cradle barrier protecting her. Now he had just unintentionally cursed himself. This was something he didn't need. It would take an extensive amount of time to get rid of such a curse. Sometimes it was an impossible feat that would later result in a premature death. However, that was a problem for later months. 

Now what was undeniable was that this girl was pregnant with a demons child. This called for a trial. 

————————————

Stepping out of his pink limo, Mephisto Pheles hurried his pace up the steps to his manor. Something was wrong. He could feel it in the core of his being. These feelings never came with good news for the time king. He only hoped that it didn't involve y/n. He assumed at first it was the gehenna gate he felt slowly open mere hours ago. Yes that was a threat and bad news if any. However, that could be adverted with a certain price. 

Something told him it was much worse than a gate. Something told him it involved his precious y/n. That was why he left his meeting on account of an emergency. He had to know at least y/n was ok. That was why he rushed up those steps to see her. 

Barreling through his front doors, he found a familiar and irritating face awaiting him. It was the current Paladin of the Knights of the True Cross. Arthur Auguste Angel. Arthur was most likely here in regards to the gate. Mephisto sighed. He had no time for his irritating speech on saving humanity. There was always some irritating addition that ridiculed the fact of his heritage. Sometimes it was just chopped full of cheap shots. It made him want to flatten the ill mannered pest. 

"What's the hurry, Sir. Pheles? Did we find something you didn't intend us to? Are you rushing to fix your mess? It's to late." Arthur told him. Mephisto only held his signature smirk. He had to keep his composure. He couldn't afford to loose a good pawn to his chess game, even if infuriating. Angel was a strong member of the knights. Technically, he is his ally. 

"Hello Angel. It's nice to see you again." Mephisto began with a tad of sarcasm in his cheerful voice. "I assume you're here because of the Gehenna Gate?" 

Arthur scoffed. Of course the time demon knew about the gate. He hated how the demon king always seemed to stick his nose wherever he wanted it to be. He'd always already know about 'this' or be around just at the right time for 'that'. Angel hated it. In fact, he thought a demon fighting organization would be better off not even associating with the demon. He thought of it as a shame to the order to even consider them allies. He'd rather eradicate every demon in his path. To bad he wasn't strong enough for that. Not yet. 

"No. I'm here to escort you to your summons. The Grigori's decision is absolute." Arthur sternly explained. 

A summons? It could be a number of things that they'd be summoning the time king for. It was rare, however, that he ever let these things slip through without him noticing. Usually it was intentional if any. Although, he had been slacking with y/n around. Mephisto froze at the thought. Was the exorcist talking about y/n? Panic rushed through his body. He hoped for anything else to be the case. 

"A summons? On what grounds am I being tried for?" Mephisto asked. Arthur couldn't contain his outrage. It showed all over his face. He practically shouted his answer to the time demon. His words rang over and over in Mephisto's ears. He would never forget them. 

"On what grounds?! You've been keeping a pregnant witch on your estate! She is bearing a demons child! You have much to explain, Sir. Pheles."


	21. The Trial

The sound of footsteps echoed through the long marble tiled hallway. Arthur Auguste Angel wore a stern glare as he led the demon king to his trial. This was the second one the king had to attend in 3 months. It was not looking good for Mephisto's reputation. Rin Okumura, the son of satan, was the centre of his last litigation. He had rehearsed and anticipated that trial for nearly years beforehand. He was more than ready. He knew exactly what to do and say to get the outcome he wanted. However, since y/n had come into his life, he had gotten sloppy. He was incredibly distracted, only thinking about y/n and her needs. Because of this, he hadn't seen this coming. He hadn't prepared. It was almost embarrassing to the time king. 

He had no choice but to improvise. 

Glaring at the blonde, he knew he would first need to discover where y/n was being held. Then he could come up with a plan from there. She was his first  priority. He needed to get her to safety. His teeth practically ground with rage at the thought of what the Paladin had done. The exorcist told him all about how he had to resort to violence against y/n. How Lewin, his right hand, felt he had to do the same and how the only thing stopping them from killing her now was the cradle barrier protecting her. 

All he wanted to do was crush the paladins 206 bones in one swift blow and that was the merciful option. The only thing stopping the king was the looming war with his brother. He needed every strong warrior he could find to fight for humanity. Arthur couldn't be that warrior while being dead. 

So, the king played along. Only for now. Arthur would have to be tolerated. The trial on the other hand was a much simpler ball park. Once he figured out where y/n and his unborn child were (which he thought would most likely be revealed at the trial), this whole event would be easy to sweep under the rug. The king could simply snip all of the knights memories and cover up everything all over again. However, this could only be done once per person. He had saved this last resort for a time like today. Then the only issue would be his traumatized y/n, Arthur's memories, and his brothers. 

It would take time for y/n to recover. With a lot of love he was sure that wouldn't be a problem. Arthur's memories were a problem that he could control as well. However, his brothers would be sure to take interest in his new kin. With the cradle barrier activating, it wouldn't be long now before the child's first heart beat. Once beating, his brothers would sense the new power. Mephisto was sure his child would be powerful and hard to ignore. The baby had his blood after all.  

It was only a matter of when. 

"We're here." Arthur exclaimed, opening the doors to the opera house court room. The giant 3 story opera house was a large circular room lined with balcony's and decorative wall edgings. Each balcony was filled with exorcists acting as a jury of sorts to the case. They all whispered amongst themselves, surely gossiping about the king. Above them was an especially large chandelier illuminating the large set of stairs straight ahead. This stair case led the path up to the stand where the accused were expected to stand during their trials. Directly ahead of that was a especially large balcony holding the 3 members of the grigori. They were acting sages and the only ones with a higher ranking than the Paladin. 

All answered to them and their rule. 

Drawing everyone's attention was an older gentlemen's wooden hammer. Noticing Mephisto's arrival he smashed it against the top of his desk signifying the court was in session. He was the acting judge in their court room and he was responsible for running each trial. It was a job he took very seriously. 

"Order! Order! Attention please. The accused proceed to the stand!" He barked. Mephisto's signature smirk was no where to be found. All he could think about was y/n. He wanted her safe and all who hurt her to be dead. He felt nothing but an unbridled rage. It took every strength within him not to let it loose. He walked up the steps to the stand and bore only a stern glare. He feelings showed all over his face. It only attracted more interest from the crowd. It was rather unusual for the demon king to act in such a way. 

"The court will now hear the case of Mephisto Pheles, Chief of the Japan Branch of the Knights of the True Cross. Your interrogators will be myself, Timothee Thimowan, Chief Justice of the Orders Court of Law, and the Paladin, Arthur Auguste Angel. The Grigori will adjugate." The judge spoke, clearing his throat once finished. He looked on at the demon with a rather disapproving glance before he continued. 

"All present are aware of the new found witch in our midsts found at Sir. Pheles' estate. According to the leading witness, Arthur Auguste Angel, she claimed to be 'staying with her lover'. Sir. Pheles, is this statement false?" He inquired. Mephisto's glare seemed to intensify. He didn't like where this line of questioning was going. He felt like it was a waste of valuable time. He knew, however, he had to go along with this. There was the looming chance they'd bring y/n to the court room as evidence. That was what kept Mephisto participating in this tedious charade after all. 

"I don't know what you mean." Mephisto lied. It only enraged the blonde below him. The paladins hand hovered over the handle of his sword, eager to unsheathe his blade. He wanted nothing more than to make the demon pay for what he felt was many years of treason against the order. He to felt this interrogation was a waste of time. 

"He's lying! I heard the witch say it herself! Do not fall for his deceit!" Arthur shouted. Mephisto's glare intensified. He absolutely hated the blonde 'insect'. Perhaps because he reminded him of his brother, Iblis. Both were persistent in invoking the kings rage. Perhaps this is what he hated so much. 

The court room raged with comments, becoming a symphony of gossip. Each mouth shared their thoughts on the trial. All gathered here had already heard that this mystery girl was also pregnant. Word quickly began to spread. Many thought it was another cover up similar to the son of satan three months before. Some said he was most likely doing another demon a favour by letting the girl stay with him. However, most came to the final conclusion that the mystery girl was pregnant with Mephisto's child. 

The court had not come to any such a conclusions yet. 

Timothee looked aggravated as he banged his wooden hammer. "Order!" He shouted, demanding silence from all the people present. The court room nearly took an entire minute to calm its chatter. All seemed to be in a panic. Mephisto could only think about staying calm amongst all the chaos. It felt like eons since the last time he struggled with this. He had been known for how well he faired in tough situations. Many wondered how he kept his composure. Today, however, was a rare exception. It was something the Grigori sages had yet to see in their 200 years of cooperation with the king. 

It raised a lot of alarms already. 

"Arthur Auguste Angel, you say you have another witness present?" Timothee questioned. Angel nodded motioning to his right hand exorcist, Lewin Light. The black markings on his face seemed to of spread since the hours before. His arm was broken and in a sling from the commotion with y/n. Today his face didn't bear a quirky smile as per usual. Today it wore a tired and heavy gaze due to the pain inflicted by the curse. 

"I'm his witness your honour." Lewin begun, gazing over at Mephisto. The demons gaze was dark in nature. It sent a jolt through the exorcists body but it didn't stop him from continuing. "Angel had asked me to interrogate the witch. During that interrogation she implied that she was staying with Mephisto. However, when I tried to interrogate her further, the cradle barrier took affect. As you can see I've been cursed by a nephilim child." 

The Grigori began to panic and in their panic asked their own line of questions to their witnesses. Mephisto could only look on silently as they talked of his lover like she was a vile creature and his unborn child like they were a nuclear bomb. For once he felt desperate. How long would it take before they'd reveal y/n? Should he start looking for her himself? He felt he was losing time. He needed to make sure she was ok. He felt like being away from her like this was tearing him apart. Perhaps he could tear this place apart to find her. He grew more and more desperate by the minute.

"And you said this demon pregnancy wasn't in our records? Not only this but the name y/n l/n didn't come up in birth certificates or any form of ID on the planet?!" The grigori asked. Lewin nodded. 

"We couldn't find anything on this girl. We even put her face through face recognition programs used by police forces on a global scale. We tried nearly every country with this and her fingerprints as well. It all turns up the same. This girl does not exist." Lewin explained. 

The court room roared once again. The voices boomed with panic and discord. Timothee once again had to resort to banging his hammer to calm all that were present. However, even through the chaos, Arthur's authorial voice rang through the chatter. It snapped Mephisto from his deep contemplation an invoked a particular rage.

"Regardless of what this girl is doing with Mephisto she can't be allowed to live! We must kill her and her ch-!" 

Arthur didn't get to finish his speech. He began to turn a bright red, gasping for air. It appeared as though he was choking, shocking a majority of the exorcists present. A bruise like mark began to appear around the base of his neck as his eyes began to tear up. Gasping for air, Arthur collapsed onto the floor. His vision began to blur but through the tears he saw Mephisto Pheles approach him. The king watched with a dark gaze as the Paladin nearly choked to death by his doing. He wanted to kill him that moment regardless of the fact he would be valuable. However, he decided to be merciful this one time. Today the Paladin would get his last warning. Leaning down to Arthur's level, he whispered his final threat so only the blonde could hear. 

"Never say that again or you'll be very sorry." He whispered, releasing the exorcist. Arthur inhaled in that moment, gaining colour back to his face. The Paladin could only cough and wheeze as Lewin ran to his aid. With the same dark haze, Mephisto simply stepped over the blonde, and headed towards the exit. The demon was uncaring as he waltzed out on his own trial. He felt especially done with its proceedings. Many shouted for him to stop or wait. Many rushed to capture him for his violent act against the Paladin. 

However, with a snap of his fingers, everyone stopped dead in their tracks. They all stared blankly at nothing, unable to move or even think. A grey haze glazed each one of their eyes as they helplessly allowed for their memories to be taken. The demons magic had taken affect. This was easily the quickest compromise for Mephisto and it would be best this way. 

The only one who would recall any of this was Arthur. A memory could not be erased twice after all. That would be a problem for a later day. Now what was important was finding y/n. She shouldn't be to far. 

No one would be allowed to hurt her. Never again.


	22. Wiping the Fears Away

Still remaining enclosed within the confines of four metallic walls, y/n was left tied to a chair. Her arms and legs felt sore and stiff to the uncomfortable restraints. Her head hung low in exhaustion and hopelessness. She had been left tied there for what felt like hours. Her only taste of human contact was the moral less Lewin Light. He had left a few hours earlier, bearing a glare and a certain seriousness. The men with him dressed in black trench coats claimed she was protected by something called a cradle barrier. It threw them all in a panic causing them to evacuate the large safe like room, leaving her to her thoughts. 

A cradle barrier was something she had yet to hear of. Surely it was demon related considering what it could do. She witnessed that it had the power to protect her from those who sought out harm. She was confident it was Mephisto's doing. She couldn't be more thankful. Who knows what would've happened if she hadn't had this 'barrier' protecting her. 

Mephisto. She felt a certain despair overcome her to the thought of her lover. She wished so much to be with him. It hurt more than any tight restrains ever could. All she wanted to do was be in his warm embrace. That embrace would offer a certain feeling of safety that she craved. Y/n felt tears stream down her face to the thought of him. She could only hope that he was ok. 

From the darkness of her thoughts came the loud sound of the safe like doors once again. Looking towards the noise, she noticed the door was in fact opening. The loud banging caused her heart to beat faster and faster against her rib cage. Who would be on the other side of that metal door? More people to question or hurt her? She felt like she couldn't breathe. The thought terrified her. She couldn't even bring herself to look. 

As the door creaked open, she heard a familiar voice call out to her. It brought a sigh of relief to her person. It was her lovers voice. He had found her. 

"Y/n darling? What did they do to you?!" He exclaimed, racing to her aid. 

The king had searched for a long while within the Vatican's prison for y/n. He came across many faces, demon and human alike. He had erased memory after memory as he ventured further and further into barracks. It wasn't until he had reached the strongest holding cells before he found her. 

There were many demonic barriers surrounding that specific holding area. They were used to keep dangerous demons inside it's confines either for questioning or exorcism. Some even he couldn't pass without a little effort. In the end, he had left nothing but a mess in his wake and that brought a tired gaze to his complexion. He knew he would have to be the one to clean the mess after the fact. In order to do that he would need a new memory to insert into the minds of all the witnesses. He needed one that left him blameless. He needed one that left y/n his secret from the order. 

The trouble now was what it would be? A demon causing trouble for the order? Perhaps it was breaking barriers to escape their clutches? Not all false. Maybe a possessed exorcist going on a rampage? Perhaps they left a mess behind? That could be convincing but that was a decision for later. For now his focus was on his beloved. He needed to get her out of the line of fire.  

All of this was for y/n's safety and he was determined to ensure it. 

"I'm so glad you're here! I was so scared. What's going on, Mephisto?"  
Y/n asked, snapping her lover from his noisy mind. Mephisto finished untying her and gave her a warm smile. It said everything would be ok. It was so calming she nearly forgot her anxieties. 

"It was a misunderstanding, darling. Don't worry. We're going home now." He told her, picking up her tired body. She held tightly onto his neck, scared to let go and lose sight of him again. She was so relieved to see him. She could finally feel safe again. She didn't want that pulled out from underneath her.  
She felt the need to keep him close.

As they walked out of the holding cell, y/n noticed two men in black trench coats. They stood on either side of the open door almost frozen in time. They did nothing but blankly stare into space. She noticed their eyes were glazed with a cryptic grey hue. They looked inhuman as they gazed into a nothingness. She could only wonder what had happened to them as they walked further down the hallway. In the end, she decided she didn't want to know. She wanted to leave the events of the day behind her. 

With a certain haste, Mephisto used a magic key to return them to his manor. It was the quickest way home, bypassing the still functional barriers. Using it on what appeared to be a locked closet door, the key managed to unlock the deadbolt. Only it wasn't a closet on the other side. It led them directly to y/n's room in Mephisto's manor. Using his powers, the demon effortlessly closed the door behind them, locking the closet door behind them. It sent a certain relief through his being. 

Y/n was safe now. 

Placing her down on the bed, he couldn't help but nuzzle into the crook of her neck. Her scent was soothing to him. Taking in her essence, he found it relieved him of his stresses and anxieties. All he wanted was to keep her there with him and he refused to think of a future where that wouldn't be. Her smile and laugh alone could have the power to revive him. 

Moving away to look at her sure to be smiling face, he found one but this time it was different. This time tears streamed down her face as she smiled. This made him frown. She appeared to be still upset over the things that had occurred. She was relieved but he could tell she was still shaken. It was understandable. She had been thoroughly startled and he knew that she needed to heal. He wanted to help her. He wanted to see her genuine smile again. 

Frowning, the king wiped the tears from her face with his gloved hands and with a gentle kiss, he whipped her fears away. Kissing him back, y/n felt that longing for safety finally be fulfilled. The king, however, wrestled with a whole new feeling. It was a primal feeling that most demons had with their mates. It was feeling he hadn't truly felt until then. At that moment, he felt the overpowering urge to claim her as him own. 

Y/n had been taken away and snatched right from the kings arms. There was nothing he could do being caught off guard. The 'insects' managed to rip her out from under him and if he hadn't reacted sooner..... He couldn't even entertain the thought of such a disaster. Surely his admiration for mankind would disappear all at once and the human world would be left a wasteland. His heavy heart would've made it so. However Y/n was safe now but only fate knew if or when that would change. That certain loss of control and insecurity made him slump to just a primal urge. 

Such a urge once felt was hard to ignore for any demon. 

Deep in this insecurity, he undressed her and himself. Swimming in his hunger, he left kisses and nibbles on many areas of her naked s/c body. Drowning in his urges he finally took her getting a gasp through y/n's desperate moans. He found himself clouded with desire. Her hands, who were hopelessly looking for leverage, clawed at his back leaving small red marks all along his spine. With every thrust, y/n's eyes became more and more clouded as well. She, however, was desperate for another feeling. She needed to feel that safety in his arms. 

Her squeaks and moans only got louder fuelling his hunger and urges. With every moaning of his name, he felt that fire grow. Claiming her the way he always had wasn't enough to quench his thirst. That irrational and violent urge demanded something more. It wanted everyone to know who she choose as her love and it wanted it to show on her s/c body. 

"M-Mephisto!" She moaned once again from underneath him. The look in her eyes at that moment was enough to through gas in his fire. He couldn't resist anymore. His fangs grew longer in that instant and like a vampire, he bit into her collarbone. It was a certain violence he had never succumbed to around her. He had always been gentle, treating her like a queen. He would only worship her and her beauty, catering to her whim. However, deep in his stressed and anxious new soul, Mephisto didn't even stop to think about y/n's emotions towards the act.

Y/n's moan of pleasure fused into a moan of pain. Blood trickled from her new wound and onto the kings lips. He couldn't help but purr to the new taste as he finished inside her. Y/n could only attempt to catch her breath as her lover licked the blood from her new wound, affectionately purring from the taste. She, on the other hand, had no idea why he did such a thing or why he acted like it was a simple gesture. All the while he smiled like her pain was ok. It nearly sent a wave of shock through her system, killing that safety she felt in their intimacy. 

It was as though at that moment the vail over her eyes had been lifted. The being she loved was a demon and this act was a reminder. It reminded her of what he was and what he could do. It reminded her of the memories he robbed from her. It made her wonder about the things she was forgetting. 

As he gently nuzzled into her neck once again, she couldn't help but flinch to his affection. Mephisto's eyes narrowed. The king surged with confusion and rage. In her eyes he only saw disapproval and fear. Why? He couldn't understand why and this set a fire for another emotion. Anger. 

He was in no mood for games. 

"Y/n... Why are you flinching to my touch?" He asked her with a certain grey that was difficult to read. Y/n wasn't sure what to say. She didn't know if he was angry or not. His demeanour seemed tense and irritated but his voice seemed calm and collected. Y/n couldn't pinpoint whether he was truly black or white. For once, Mephisto's demeanour began to scare her. 

"I....I wasn't sure if you were going to bite me again." She lied. Y/n still loved him. Regardless of what he had done, y/n didn't want to hurt him. From all the times he had done her well and taken care of her, how could she reject him now for something as small as his heritage. But that wasn't the only reason why she gave him that lie. 

She was afraid of what he might do knowing the truth. 

The demon king, on the other hand, seemed to be satisfied with this answer. It made sense to him. He bit her fairly hard due to his hunger. It was only instinct for her to flinch to the feeling of lips and fangs grazing her flesh. Her instincts told her to avoid danger. 

He only decided to go along with the lie for today. 

"Oh I'm sorry. Don't worry. I won't bite you again unless you want me too darling." He told her. The gentle and compassionate wording brought ease to her thinking. Yes, he was a demon, but he could be more than just that. She had seen already that he could be. Y/n couldn't help but kick herself. 'What was I thinking? I love him.' She thought. 'He wouldn't do anything to hurt me.' 

Mephisto left more kisses on her s/c skin, snapping her from her thoughts and making her smile. It eased all of her tense demeanour and brought the passion between the couple back once again. Y/n's genuine smile revived the king to his compassionate self, easing the irritation from her actions. He began to relax again, breathing in her scent and having her in his arms. Perhaps her lie would be addressed another day. In the end, she was safe and that was what mattered most to him. 

The two cuddled well into the evening until y/n eventually fell asleep in his arms. The king couldn't help but smile seeing her sound asleep and finally relaxed. She was beauty to him and his everything. He couldn't find a single cell in his body that could stay mad at her now. Her lie would be forgotten by morning. However, as he kissed her tired forehead, he heard a sound that caused him to nearly jump out of his skin. He had nearly forgotten. 

It was the sound of a demon. It was his child's first heart beat.


	23. Disorder

In a darkly lit room, a man with vibrant blonde hair laid asleep attached to many iv's and respirators. The machines beeped and buzzed loud enough to awake someone in a deep slumber but the man didn't seem to be even roused. These familiar sounds were almost soothing to the blonde. They were like the sound of ocean waves beating against a sandy beach. It was more of a sleep aide. 

The mans chest rose and fell gently as he slept. His face wore a relaxed and peaceful expression. He could finally wind down from the stresses of the day. However, that wouldn't remain the case for long. 

Deep in the mans dream of an endless void of peaceful darkness came a sound. It was a sound he hadn't heard in what seemed like eons. Out from the darkness came the beating of a nephilim heart. One who's power couldn't be ignored. It's power surged stronger with every pounding. Such an impressive new power seemed almost familiar to the man. It reminded him of the first time he heard his brother's heart beat. 

That was when his realization struck. 

Gasping from his dream, the man rose in a sweat. The stresses and anxieties rushed back all at once to his tired body. It was clear a new power had come into being. It was a half human with unimaginable strength. The man could feel it pulsing through the air and through his demon soul. Balling his fists, the blonde knew the cause. 

Surely it was his brothers doing. Once again, Samael was scheming against him. He could only helplessly wonder what it was going to be this time. Was he attempting to make more soldiers to fight for him? Perhaps he thought he had already won their war? Either way, Lucifer could only question one thing now and that was why his brother tried so desperately to defy him. He didn't see why this world was worth fighting for.

One thing was for certain. It was time for another meeting between his brothers. 

     —————————————————

Deep in the barracks of the Vatican's prison cells, exorcists scrambled to rebuild and repair damaged seals. Each seal and even prison cells were left in shambles. It was clear this was from the work of a demon but such carnage was uncommon. The True Cross Knights had no choice but to call in the big guns. What remained of the famous Todo family was called in to aide in the repairs. The Todo family were experts of barriers and seals and renowned among their fellow exorcists. They had taken the job, not questioning the authority of their superiors. However, today was different. 

The family had rarely seen such precise and destructive carnage from a demon before. Some seals were pried apart from the inside out with such a precision that it was almost surgical. Other smaller barriers were simply disintegrated into ashes. The eldest of the family, Waro, stood in awe as he studied the carnage.

He had seen many broken barriers and seals before but this mess was something he had only seen one other time in his waking days. 

"What the hell were they keeping here?" He muttered to himself as he begun his work. Demons always seemed to keep him on his toes. As Waro began to repair the broken seal before him, a set of footsteps snapped him from his concentration. Someone was practically running through the hallways. He thought for a second it might be one of his dull minded brothers but he was wrong. Waro had to double take at what he saw. Arthur Auguste Angel, the Paladin, seemed to be running at full speed down the hallway. 

"Sir!" He saluted, immediately bowing before his superior. Angel looked to be frazzled as he came into view. 

"What happened here, Todo?!" He barked. Waro didn't hesitate with his answer. This was the first time he had met the Paladin in person. He wanted to make a good impression.

"I was told there was an accident with one of the demons held here. We were told that they escaped and we are here to repair the barriers while the recovery team is aiding the wounded, sir." Waro told him. Angel ran his hands through his hair, pacing back and fourth. He didn't know what to do. His day has turned into utter chaos. 

Arthur had been thrown in a panic, running from person to person for answers. He would never finding any. He seemed to be the only one who remembered Mephisto's trial. Everyone seemed to have the same 'story', all different from what he recalled. A demon escaped from the barracks and made a mess of things. Nearby exorcists were scrambling to clean it up. 

Angel could only focus his mind on the pregnant mystery girl he had apprehended only hours ago. It was like she never was apprehended. It was like she didn't even exist. The Paladin also found himself stuck replaying the demon kings malicious attack in his head. His demonic face and vicious words were etched into his memory. Somehow, no one but him remembered the terrifying encounter. He only knew one thing. 

This confusion and disorder among his fellow exorcist had to be Mephisto's doing. 

"Damn it!" Arthur shouted, running past Waro. He didn't bother to say goodbye. Time was of the essence. Something was going on and if it involved the demon he knew it was bad. It infuriated him that he was the only one that remembered anything at all. It left him alone in this fight. Even his second in command, Lewin Light, could only laugh and ask if he was feeling alright. 

Angel raced down the hallway towards the cell where y/n was held. The clicking of his shoes rang through the large halls. He held onto one last hope that maybe she was still there. Maybe the king was still searching the vast holding cells of the Vatican. That way he could prove his story was true. As he reached the door of the safe, he froze where he stood. He found the door was left wide open and y/n was gone. The exorcists he ordered guard the cell were left unconscious on the ground. His proof was gone without a trace. 

"No!" He shouted in frustration. He was to late. He didn't know what to do. He was never one for creating plans. He left that to Lewin. Not having his right hand to help him, he felt lost. He was alone in this. All he knew was that he couldn't let Mephisto get away with his scheme. Not now and not ever. 

Moaning in pain, one of the guards roused from their sleep. "What happened?" He mumbled out loud. Arthur rushed to his side. He only prayed that he'd have some kind of answers and proof. 

"Are you ok?" He asked. The man nodded, still in a tired haze. Arthur noticed he had what appeared to be a grey hue over some parts of his eyes. He had never seen such a thing before. It left him shaken but he had to keep his composure. 

"Do you remember what happened here?" He asked, hopeful. His coworker began to nod off, commenting about how he was sleepy. His head began to hang lifelessly to the side and his eyes began to close. Arthur scrambled to keep his head upright. He needed him awake.

"Stay with me! Do you remember what happened here?" He asked again. The man looked at him now wearing a confused expression on his face. Then his face lit up as if he recalled something important. 

"I remember something! I think......." He began. Arthur listened intently. "I think there was a man. W-With weird purple hair. I think he was carrying a girl? No, that must have been a dream I had. We were holding.......... a demon in .....here. Not a ........girl........" The exorcist finished before passing out once again. Arthur knew it was no dream and he knew what he had to do next.

He had to find Mephisto.


End file.
